Canada’s PM praises Xi, signals warmer ties with China

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday praised China’s leadership under President Xi Jinping and described his country’s ties with China as entering a “new course of cooperation” amid global uncertainty.

Speaking during a four-day visit to China, the first by a Canadian leader since 2017, Carney told China’s top legislator, Zhao Leji, that “We’re heartened by the leadership of President Xi Jinping and the speed with which our relationship has progressed.”

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He added, “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 and Xi are scheduled to meet again on Friday.

Carney’s visit comes after months of renewed engagement aimed at repairing relations that had cooled under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The effort has also been shaped by Canada’s desire to diversify export markets following U.S. tariffs and President Donald Trump’s suggestion that Canada could become the United States’ 51st state.

“Our teams have worked hard, addressing trade irritants and creating platforms for new opportunities,” Carney told Premier Li Qiang in a separate meeting. “I believe that together, we are bringing this relationship back toward where it should be.”

According to Reuters, relations between both countries had been strained by disputes over tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and Canadian farm exports, which led to a 10.4% drop in Chinese imports of Canadian goods in 2025.

While the two countries have yet to publicly resolve these specific trade issues, a new trade and economic roadmap signed on Thursday commits both sides to “maintaining open channels of communication” on agricultural products and encourages investments in multiple sectors, from energy and agriculture in Canada to aerospace and advanced manufacturing in China.

Carney described the agreements as “an example to the world of cooperation amidst a time globally of division and disorder.”

(Reuters)