Canadian PM Mark Carney to visit China next week as ties thaw

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Wednesday that he will travel to China next week to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, as Ottawa seeks to reduce its reliance on the United States amid tariff threats.

Carney’s trip is scheduled for Jan. 13 to 17. He plans to attend the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, from Jan. 19 to 21.

In a statement, Carney said Canada is trying to “forge new partnerships around the world to transform our economy from one that has been reliant on a single trade partner, to one that is stronger and more resilient to global shock,” according to the Associated Press report.

The visit will be the first trip to China by a Canadian prime minister in more than eight years, the report said. Xi invited Carney to China when the two met during an Asia-Pacific summit in October.

The AP report said the diplomacy comes as Canada seeks to double its non-U.S. exports in the next decade and as its free trade agreement with the United States and Mexico is up for review this year.

More than 75% of Canada’s exports go to the United States, the report said. It added that China is Canada’s second-largest trading partner.

The report said the push toward stronger ties with China is also linked to concerns over U.S. tariff threats, including a claim by President Donald Trump that Canada could be “the 51st state.”

Relations between Canada and China deteriorated in late 2018 after Canadian authorities arrested a senior executive of Chinese tech giant Huawei in connection with an extradition agreement with the United States. The report said China later arrested two Canadian citizens in retaliation.

More recently, the report said Canada in 2024 levied a 100% tariff on electric vehicles, batteries and other goods from China, in tandem with the United States. It said Canadian canola producers, seafood exporters and pork farmers are dealing with steep Chinese tariffs in retaliation.

The AP report said China has offered to remove its import taxes on some Canadian products if Canada drops the EV tariff.