Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney used his first trip to China to praise President Xi Jinping and frame closer ties with Beijing as part of a shifting global order.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney declared that Canada’s evolving relationship with China positions the two countries for a “new world order” during a cordial visit to Beijing this week, offering praise for Chinese leadership and highlighting what his government describes as progress in bilateral cooperation.
Carney’s multi-day trip to China, which kicked off Wednesday, marks the first visit by a Canadian prime minister to the country in nearly a decade. He is expected to attend a lunch with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday as part of meetings aimed at resetting ties between Ottawa and Beijing.
“Mine is the first visit of a Canadian Prime Minister to China in nearly a decade,” Carney said in remarks delivered alongside Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, and Canadian Minister of Industry Mélanie Joly. “The world has changed much since that last visit. I believe the progress that we have made in the partnership sets us up well for the new world order.”
Footage of Carney’s remarks circulated widely online, including a post that showed him speaking in China and quoting his reference to a “new world order.” The post read, “I believe the progress we have made and the partnership sets us up well for the new world order,” followed by the commentary, “What a disaster,” alongside video of the speech shared at pic.twitter.com/qiiLQN1G5Z and dated January 15, 2026.
During the Beijing visit, Carney also met with Zhao Leji, the third-highest ranking member of the Chinese Communist Party. In comments reported by Reuters, Carney told Zhao, “We’re heartened by the leadership of President Xi Jinping and the speed with which our relationship has progressed,” according to the outlet’s report.
“It sets the stage for these important discussions on a wide range of issues where we can be strategic partners from energy to agriculture, to people-to-people ties, multilateralism, to issues on security,” Carney added in his remarks to Zhao, Reuters reported.
Carney also spoke with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, the second-highest ranking official in the Chinese Communist Party behind Xi. In that exchange, Carney said that “together,” Canada and China are bringing their relationship “back toward where it should be,” according to Reuters.
Anand, Canada’s top diplomat, told reporters during the visit that the country is operating under “a new government with a new prime minister, a new foreign policy, and a new geopolitical environment,” as reported by the New York Times. She added that “it is necessary for us [Canada] to diversify our trading partners, and to grow non-U.S. trade, by at least 50 percent over the next 10 years.”
Carney succeeded fellow Liberal Justin Trudeau, who served as Canada’s prime minister for a decade, in March 2025. He won reelection the following month after a campaign that focused heavily on opposing President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada, even as the Conservative Party made gains. Before entering elected office, Carney served a combined 12 years as governor of both the Bank of England and the Bank of Canada.
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