Mark Carney to visit China next week, first for a Canadian prime minister in nearly 10 years

Former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig, who was held in China for nearly three years, says China is a ‘complicated challenge’ for Canada.

Prime Minister Mark Carney will visit China next week, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) confirmed to CTV News on Wednesday.

The planned visit, which will take place from Jan. 13 to 17, aims to elevate engagement between Ottawa and Beijing on trade, energy, agriculture and international security, the PMO said.

It will mark the first visit to China by a Canadian prime minister since 2017.

The relationship between the two countries has been fraught since 2018, after Canada arrested Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on behalf of the United States over bank fraud charges.

Days later, China separately detained Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor over allegations of espionage — accusations they denied. Both men were eventually released after spending more than 1,000 days in a Chinese prison, not long after Meng herself was released from house arrest.

But, since becoming prime minister, Carney has signalled attempts to deepen the relationship with China in some sectors, despite previously calling the country Canada’s biggest security threat during a federal election debate last April.

In September, he met Chinese Premier Li Qiang, China’s second-highest ranking official, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

Then, in October, Carney met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit (APEC) in Gyeongju, South Korea, after which Carney said Canada’s relationship with China is at a “turning point,” while also acknowledging a “pragmatic engagement with China.”

He also said at the time that he had accepted Xi’s invitation for a state visit, which would happen at a mutually convenient time.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe — who travelled to China last fall along with Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister Kody Blois — said he welcomes the news Carney is travelling to China, and hopes it will be part of a “broader process” in seeing Beijing remove its tariffs on Canadian canola.

Canada is reviewing former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s decision to levy 100 per cent tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles (EVs). The policy was made in concert with the United States, and framed as a way to protect domestic manufacturing, accusing China is unfairly subsidizing its EV industry and flooding the market.

Canada also has 25 per cent tariffs in place on Chinese steel and aluminum.

In retaliation, China levied a 100 per cent tariff on Canadian canola oil and meal, and a 75.8 per cent tariff on canola seed. China has also imposed a 25 per cent levy on some seafood products.

But, in an interview with CTV’s Question Period in October, China’s ambassador to Canada Wang Di said China will lift its canola tariffs if Canada drops its EV levies.

Both Moe and Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew have encouraged the federal government to drop its EV tariffs.

“I commend Prime Minister Carney, not only for engaging with China, but for really raising the priority and the credibility of Canada in that world trade sphere, and focusing on trade in his conversation there,” Moe said in an interview on CTV Power Play with Vassy Kapelos airing Wednesday.

“So this visit, (I’m) glad to see it, support it, but it’s going to be part of a broader process on ‘how can we move the tariffs on some of the products,’ namely canola for us in Saskatchewan, but also open up opportunities for additional trade with China beyond what we even do today,” he also said.

Michael Kovrig, however, has cautioned against making China “the core” of its economic diversification strategy.

He’s also warned that scrapping tariffs on Chinese EVs would be a mistake, and that it could give China too much leverage in future negotiations and domestic policymaking.

When asked whether increased trade with China amounts to substituting one unstable trading partner, the United States, for another, Moe said it’s important not to focus solely on China, but rather to diversify markets.

“China is one of the largest economies, one of the highest populated countries, so it needs to be part of that conversation if we are going to diversify our trade in any way,” he said.

In an interview with CTV’s Power Play in October, Wang suggested the two countries “triple” trade with one another if the market allows.

According to Statistics Canada, total trade between Canada and China in 2024 was $118.7 billion. And of that number, roughly $30 billion were Canadian exports.

With files from CTV News’ Stephanie Ha, Judy Trinh and Jordan Fleguel