Editing Paul Martin (section)

====Foreign relations====
{{Further|List of international prime ministerial trips made by Paul Martin}}
[[File:President George W. Bush and Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin respond to questions from the press corps in the Rose Garden after a meeting at the White House.jpg|thumb|Martin alongside U.S. president [[George W. Bush]], April 30, 2004]]

On February 24, 2005, Foreign Affairs Minister [[Pierre Pettigrew]] told the House of Commons that Canada would not participate in the [[United States national missile defense|American National Missile Defense Program]], and that he expected to be consulted in the case of a missile being launched over Canadian airspace. Martin's decision met with much praise, but others saw that the government was distancing itself from the U.S. His government continued to cooperate with the United States on border control, refugee claimants, and defense, and he appointed seasoned Liberal politician [[Frank McKenna]] as Canada's ambassador to Washington.

Martin was criticized for failing to reach a foreign-aid target of 0.7 percent of GDP, most notably by [[Bono]] of Irish rock group [[U2]] (who claimed that he was going to "kick <nowiki>[Martin's]</nowiki> butt" over the issue). Martin later responded that, in his view, many foreign leaders had made pledges that were too fanciful and that he would only commit to targets that he knew his government could be held accountable for.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20050709/g-8_summitwraps_20050708?s_name=&no_ads= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060302075722/http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20050709/g-8_summitwraps_20050708?s_name=&no_ads= |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 2, 2006 |author=CTV.ca News Staff |title=Resolute G-8 leaders unveil $50B in foreign aid |publisher=CTV.ca |date=July 9, 2005 |access-date=November 29, 2006 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://newsfromrussia.com/society/2005/11/26/68542.html |title=Irish rock star Bono says Canadian Prime Minister mystifies him |work=News From Russia |publisher=pravda.ru |date=November 26, 2005 |access-date=November 29, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070417091827/http://newsfromrussia.com/society/2005/11/26/68542.html |archive-date=April 17, 2007 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

Martin became involved in a diplomatic row with the United States administration after accusing, with [[Bill Clinton]], the US of not listening to [[Kyoto Protocol|global environmental concerns]]. Martin rejected US Ambassador [[David H. Wilkins|David Wilkins]]'s rebuke and said he was standing up for Canada's interests over softwood and other issues.<ref>{{cite news |title=Martin warns of threat to national unity |author=CBC News |publisher=CBC |date=November 30, 2005 |access-date=April 26, 2014 |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/martin-warns-of-threat-to-national-unity-1.542084}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Martin rejects U.S. ambassador's rebuke |author=CBC News |publisher=CBC |date=December 13, 2005 |access-date=April 26, 2014|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/martin-rejects-u-s-ambassador-s-rebuke-1.543612}}</ref>

Martin promoted the expansion of the [[G8]] into a larger group of twenty nations, [[G20]], whose inaugural chairman was himself. He also forged a closer relationship with the People's Republic of China by announcing the [[strategic partnership]] initiative during PRC President [[Hu Jintao]]'s [[state visit]] to Canada in September 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ca.chineseembassy.org/eng/zjwl/t211490.htm |title=China, Canada agree on building strategic partnership|date=September 9, 2005|author=The Consulate General of The People's Republic of China in Canada|publisher=Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Canada|access-date=February 17, 2021}}</ref>