Canadian PM Carney in Australia to talk minerals, defence

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney landed on Tuesday in Australia, kicking off a trip aimed at bringing in investment and deepening ties with a fellow "middle power" partner.

Carney landed around midday (0100 GMT) in Sydney, where he will address on Wednesday a meeting of the Lowy Institute think tank.

He is then expected to meet Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and address the nation's parliament in the capital of Canberra.

The trip is part of a multi-country tour of the Asia-Pacific aimed at reducing reliance on the United States -- a hedge against what Carney has described as a fading US-led global order.

His arrival in Australia comes just days after a US-Israeli strike on Iran killed the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and plunged the Middle East into war.

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Both Canada and Australia have backed those strikes. 

Albanese's office has framed Carney as a like-minded leader and said his trip will focus on economic security and critical minerals -- of which Australia has vast reserves -- as well as defence.

"As our countries face new challenges and opportunities, we must deepen our cooperation with partners to promote our national interests," the Australian prime minister said last week.

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