Prime Minister Mark Carney has arrived in Beijing for a pivotal four-day trip from 13 to 17 January 2026, the first by a Canadian leader since 2017. The mission seeks to deepen economic ties with China and reduce reliance on the United States amid tensions with President Donald Trump.
Relations hit rock bottom in 2018 after Vancouver police arrested Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on a U.S. warrant for fraud linked to Iran sanctions. Beijing retaliated by holding two Canadians on spying charges; all were freed in 2021 via a U.S. plea deal. Ongoing issues include Ottawa’s Huawei 5G ban and dismissed claims of Chinese election meddling, which Beijing rejects. Ottawa views China as “an increasingly disruptive global power” that “increasingly disregards” international rules and norms, though it recognises China’s size and influence make some cooperation necessary.
Carney will meet President Xi Jinping—following their Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation sideline chat in South Korea—Premier Li Qiang, and National People’s Congress Standing Committee Chairman Zhao Leji. Talks span trade, energy, agriculture, and security, with Canada eyeing petroleum and LNG markets while China pushes cultural exchanges based on shared interests. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe joins to press for relief on canola tariffs hurting prairie farmers.
Negotiators eye a mutual lift of 2024 tariffs—China’s on Canadian canola, pork, and seafood versus Ottawa’s on Chinese electric vehicles, echoing U.S. policy. Bilateral trade hit $118.7 billion last year, with Canada exporting $29.9 billion against $88.8 billion imports.
U.S. duties on steel, aluminium, and autos stall talks, spurring a USMCA review with Mexico later in 2026. Beijing urges “strategic autonomy” from Washington. Former diplomat Colin Robertson told the BBC, “I think we are approaching the relationship now with the realism that we haven’t seen for decades.” He added it could yield a “healthier relationship if both sides understand where they’re coming from and what the red lines are.”
Two Liberal MPs cut short a Taiwan visit pre-trip, telling the Globe and Mail newspaper that Canada’s Taiwan stance “has not changed” but aimed to “avoid confusion with its foreign policy, given the overlap with the Prime Minister’s engagement in Beijing.”
“At a time of global trade disruption, Canada is focused on building a more competitive, sustainable, and independent economy.” Robertson noted U.S. scrutiny but affirmed, “At the end of the day, there’s Canadian interests that we’re pursuing.”