Canada and China Signal Reset as Prime Minister Mark Carney Makes Landmark Visit to Beijing

BY EMMANUEL OGBONNA

Canada and China are signaling a tentative reset in relations as Prime Minister Mark Carney visits Beijing this week, the first trip by a Canadian leader to China in eight years and a move both sides describe as the beginning of a more constructive phase after a prolonged period of tension.

Meeting Thursday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Canada’s foreign minister, Anita Anand, that Carney’s visit marked a turning point in bilateral ties and was expected to open new opportunities for cooperation. According to a statement from China’s Foreign Ministry, Wang said Beijing viewed the visit as a chance to stabilize relations and rebuild trust following years of political and economic strain.

Anand, in turn, conveyed that Carney is eager to chart a new course for the relationship and to restart dialogue across a range of areas that have largely been frozen in recent years. The Chinese statement said both sides expressed interest in restoring regular communication mechanisms and exploring ways to manage differences more effectively.

Carney, who took office 10 months ago, has made repairing Canada’s relationship with China a foreign policy priority after years of acrimony fueled by trade disputes, diplomatic standoffs and security concerns. Relations deteriorated sharply after Canada detained a senior Chinese technology executive in 2018 at the request of the United States, followed by tit-for-tat trade measures and mutual distrust that lingered even after that crisis eased.

The prime minister was scheduled to hold talks later Thursday with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and is set to meet President Xi Jinping on Friday, a meeting that will be closely watched for signs of whether both sides are prepared to move beyond symbolic gestures toward concrete cooperation.

The timing of Carney’s visit has taken on added urgency amid growing economic pressure from the United States. President Donald Trump has imposed higher tariffs on a range of Canadian exports, reinforcing concerns in Ottawa about Canada’s heavy dependence on its southern neighbor. More than three-quarters of Canadian exports currently go to the U.S., and Carney has pledged to reduce that reliance by doubling Canada’s non-U.S. exports over the next decade.

“We’re ready to build a new partnership — one that builds on the best of our past, and responds to the challenges of today,” Carney wrote on social media shortly after arriving in Beijing late Wednesday, signaling an openness to recalibrating ties with the world’s second-largest economy.

Trade has been one of the most contentious issues between the two countries. In 2024, Canada followed Washington’s lead by imposing steep tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles, along with duties on steel and aluminum. Those measures were introduced under Carney’s predecessor, Justin Trudeau, but their economic impact has continued to reverberate.

China responded forcefully, levying tariffs of 100% on Canadian canola oil and meal, 25% on pork and seafood, and later adding a 75.8% duty on canola seeds. Industry groups said the combined effect of those measures effectively shut Canadian canola out of the Chinese market, dealing a heavy blow to one of Canada’s most important agricultural exports.

Beijing, for its part, has signaled that it hopes rising pressure from U.S. trade policy will encourage Canada and other American allies to pursue a more independent foreign policy. Chinese officials have frequently accused Washington of rallying its partners to contain China, an approach Beijing says has undermined global trade and diplomatic stability.

The legacy of past disputes continues to cast a long shadow. Relations plunged to a low point after Canadian authorities detained Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in late 2018, triggering a sharp response from Beijing, which arrested two Canadians on espionage charges. The episode poisoned diplomatic ties for more than two years and became a symbol of the broader strategic rivalry between China and the United States, with Canada caught in the middle.

Carney’s visit does not erase those memories, but it reflects a shared recognition that the current trajectory is unsustainable. As economic realities and geopolitical pressures evolve, both governments appear willing, at least for now, to test whether dialogue and pragmatic engagement can replace confrontation and stalemate.