China says Carney’s Beijing visit key to rebooting ties
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China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi (right) meets Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand at the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing, China, on Jan 15.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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BEIJING - China on Jan 15 praised a visit to Beijing this week by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, calling it “pivotal” in work to recalibrate ties following months of intense re-engagement.
The remarks by China’s top diplomat Wang Yi were made in a meeting with Canadian counterpart Anita Anand, who is part of Mr Carney’s delegation on the first visit by a Canadian prime minister
“This marks the Canadian prime minister’s first visit to China in eight years, representing a pivotal and landmark moment for our bilateral relations,” Mr Wang said.
China is willing to deepen cooperation with Canada while eliminating “interference”, Mr Wang added, but stopped short of specifying the source of the interference.
In turn, Ms Anand praised the behind-the-scenes work in organising Mr Carney’s approaching meetings with China’s leaders to “ensure those meetings are a success”, the Canadian prime minister’s office said in a statement.
Since a positive encounter between Mr Carney and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea in 2025, the countries have evinced a common desire to turn the page on periods of tension that have roiled ties since 2017.
The most recent strain was after former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government set tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles in 2024, following similar US curbs.
China retaliated last March with tariffs on more than US$2.6 billion (S$3.35 billion) of Canadian farm and food products, such as canola oil and meal, leading to a slump of 10.4 per cent in Chinese imports of Canadian goods in 2025, shown in customs data on Jan 14.
Re-engagement with China has also been fuelled by a push to diversify export markets after US President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on Canada in 2025 and suggested the longtime US ally could become his country’s 51st state
Efforts to strike up new dialogue gathered pace since Mr Carney took the helm in 2025, with top officials of both sides setting up meetings and telephone calls that paved the way for the leaders’ October meeting in South Korea.
Chief cause of tension
Chinese state media had blamed the Trudeau government’s policies to contain China in lock step with the United States as the chief cause of tension.
“It was pretty tough watching that previous administration,” said Mr Jacob Cooke, chief executive of Beijing-based WPIC Marketing + Technologies, a Canadian company what worked with garment firms Arcteryx and Lululemon on their China launch.
“We know Carney has got a lot of business experience, and he’s been to China many times,” Mr Cooke told Reuters. “So from the business community’s perspective, we’re very optimistic, we’re confident.”
Since arriving in Beijing on Jan 14, Mr Carney has met senior executives of Chinese business groups such as EV battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) and China National Petroleum Corp.
He has also met officials of smart wind turbine maker Envision Energy, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, investment firm Primavera Capital Group and e-commerce titan Alibaba.
Mr Carney is set to meet Premier Li Qiang later on Jan 15 and Mr Xi on Jan 16. REUTERS
