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The Canadian leader introduced Prime Minister Abe claiming it was a "real pleasure" to welcome the Japanese leader in Ottawa for the first time. But Mr Trudeau suffered a slip of the tongue when he accidentally claimed the visit was to celebrate 90 years of diplomatic relations between Canada and China. He said: “What a real pleasure it is to welcome Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Canada for the second time in a year, to Ottawa for the first time of this mandate on the occasion of 90 years of diplomatic relations between Canada and China…"

“Canada and Japan", he promptly corrected himself. But the Canadian Prime Minister made the same mistake minutes later sparking claims Mr Trudeau might have been preoccupied with the worsening relations between his country and China after following the arrest of Huawei’s Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver last December. Mr Abe and Mr Trudeau met on Sunday to tout the benefits of a Pacific trade deal that US President Donald Trump walked away from and said the pact should serve as a model for future agreements. The landmark 11-country trade deal, a revamped version of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), came into force last December.

Justin Trudeau confuses Japan with China at Ottawa meeting with Shinzo Abe

It does not include the United States, which pulled out of talks on the initial TPP in 2017. Justin Trudeau said exports of some beef products from Canada to Japan had increased nearly threefold under the deal, formally known as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). He said: "This deal has benefited tremendously Canadian citizens, Japanese citizens and businesses and indeed people throughout the region. "That stands in stark contrast with the United States withdrawal continuing to move forward on freer more open trade, according to the rules we can all agree on, is something we need more in the world."