Prime Minister Mark Carney will travel to China next week — the first visit to the country by a Canadian prime minister in more than eight years — as the two countries move to restore stronger ties after years of trade and political tensions.
International security and trade highlight the agenda for Carney's visit, with a specific focus on energy and agriculture.
The Prime Minister's Office has not yet said whether Carney will meet face-to-face with President Xi Jinping during the trip, which will begin Jan. 13 and end Jan. 17.
Carney and Xi met on Oct. 31 at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in South Korea, which was the first official meeting between the leaders of Canada and China since 2017.
Relations between Canada and China have been tense since former prime minister Justin Trudeau last visited China in December 2017. The diplomatic relationship nearly disintegrated in 2018 following Canada's arrest of a Chinese telecom executive at the request of the United States, and China's subsequent arbitrary detention of two Canadians who had been working in China.
Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were held in jail for nearly three years. They were released in September 2021 after a deferred prosecution agreement was reached between the U.S. and China in the fraud case against Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou.
Trade relations have also suffered. Canada imposed a 100 per cent tariff on Chinese electric vehicles and a 25 per cent import tax on steel and aluminum over the last two years.
China responded by hitting Canada with a 100 per cent tariff on various agricultural products, including canola oil and peas, plus a 25 per cent levy on pork and seafood products.
China's ambassador to Canada has said that Chinese tariffs would be removed if Canada dropped its EV tariffs.
Carney's visit comes as Ottawa recalibrates its relationship with China.
The prime minister said last September that Ottawa should be "clearer about where we engage" with China — that Canada could collaborate "deeply" with Beijing on energy, climate change and basic manufacturing, while maintaining "guardrails" around national security matters.
Since taking office, Carney has focused the bilateral relationship on economic issues and restarted a dormant working group with China aimed at rectifying trade irritants.
He has said that Canada's strategy is to work with China where there is common ground and respect differences while defending Canadian interests. That follows years of Beijing urging Canada to focus on shared priorities instead of flashpoints such as China's repression in Hong Kong and allegations of human rights abuses targeting Uyghurs and other minorities.
In September, China’s Ambassador to Canada Wang Di suggested the bilateral relationship was on the right path.
"With joint efforts from both Chinese and Canadian sides, the downward trend of the bilateral relations was reversed and the steady improvement has started," Di told a reception.
Canadian oil exports to China hit their highest ever recorded level last year as the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion came online and as Canada sought to respond to U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war.
Carney and Xi met privately for about 40 minutes at the October summit, and while no movement on trade issues came out of that meeting, Xi invited Carney to visit China in the new year.
Following that meeting, Carney said he was "very pleased' with that meeting and suggested it represented a "turning point" in Canada-China relations.
That's a sharp turn from comments Carney made during the leaders' debate in the spring federal election, when he described China as "the biggest security threat" facing Canada.
Carney later attributed the threat to Chinese foreign interference activities in Canadian politics and China's activity in the Arctic.
China calls itself a "near-Arctic state" and is looking to develop shipping routes and natural resources in the region.
After the October meeting, Carney said he raised the issue of foreign interference with Xi and that Beijing does not understand how seriously Canada takes the issue.
Last January, a federal inquiry declared that "China is the most active perpetrator of foreign interference targeting Canada’s democratic institutions" at all levels.
Carney is likely to visit China again this year in November, when the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation forum hosts leaders in the tech hub of Shenzhen.
Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
