Harper says onus on China to show it plays by rules as feds mull Nexen deal
September 06, 2012 - 6:36 PM
VANCOUVER - Stephen Harper says the onus is on China to show its state-run enterprises can be trusted to play by the same rules as Canada.
The prime minister made the remark as he prepares to meet Chinese President Hu Jintao at the APEC leaders' summit this weekend in Vladivostok, Russia.
Harper was speaking to a session of top business leaders in Vancouver.
He was answering questions about the government's ongoing review of the China National Offshore Oil Corp's $15.1-billion deal to buy Calgary-based Nexen Inc. (TSX:NXY).
Harper says he wants to deepen economic relations with China but that relationship must be a two-way street.
The Conservatives have rejected only two foreign takeovers in the last six years, most recently a US$40-billion bid by Anglo-Australian mining firm BHP Billiton for Potash Corp. (TSX:POT) in 2010.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2012