BEIJING — Prime Minister Mark Carney has arrived in China for the first visit by a Canadian prime minister in nearly a decade, signalling a potential new era in diplomatic relations. Carney’s trip follows an invitation extended during discussions with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the ASEAN Summit in South Korea in the fall of 2025.
Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Anita Anand, who is part of the delegation, described the trip as an important opportunity to explore new areas of collaboration. “It is a complex relationship, but Prime Minister Mark Carney is here to recalibrate the Canada-China relationship,” Anand told reporters in Beijing on Wednesday.
China is Canada’s second-largest trading partner, with bilateral trade reaching $118 billion in 2024. However, relations have been strained in recent years, particularly following the 2018 detention of Huawei CEO Meng Wenzhou at the behest of the United States, which led to the detention of Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig in China. While acknowledging past tensions, Anand suggested that the current geopolitical environment may signal a shift. “This is a new government with a new prime minister, a new foreign policy, and a new geopolitical environment,” she remarked. “In this moment of economic stress for our country, it is necessary for us to diversify our trading partners.”
During his visit, Carney is set to meet with business leaders and government officials, including Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, and Premier Li Qiang. A closed-door meeting with President Xi Jinping is also scheduled for Friday. York University Professor Gregory Chin noted that Chinese leadership understands the importance of improving relations with Canada, particularly given the current state of Canada-U.S. relations. “They realise relations with Canada weren’t good for the last decade, and that’s not in China’s interest,” he said.
Trade will be a significant focus of the discussions, with agriculture and energy also on the agenda. Carney is expected to participate in a signing ceremony related to energy and climate initiatives. However, he has made it clear that Canada will not engage in business with China in certain areas, including artificial intelligence and critical minerals. Meanwhile, the canola sector is closely monitoring the situation as it seeks to resolve the punitive Chinese tariffs imposed on Canadian canola products, which have effectively shut out Canadian canola from the Chinese market valued at approximately $5 billion in 2024.
Chris Davison, President and CEO of the Canola Council of Canada, expressed hope for progress in restoring market access to China. “Our ultimate goal is to restore market access to China, to have smoother, predictable trade with our number 2 export market,” he said. Government officials have indicated that while progress is anticipated, the complete elimination of tariffs is unlikely to occur during this visit.
Following his time in China, Prime Minister Carney will continue his international engagements with visits to Qatar and the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
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