BEIJING praised a visit 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 Carney’s delegation on the first visit by a Canadian prime minister since 2017.
“This marks the Canadian Prime Minister’s first visit to China in eight years, representing a pivotal and landmark moment for our bilateral relations,” Wang said.
China is willing to deepen cooperation with Canada while eliminating “interference”, Wang added, but stopped short of specifying the source of the interference.
In turn, Anand praised the behind-the-scenes work in organising 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 Carney and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea last year, 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 Canadian farm and food products, such as canola oil and meal, leading to a slump of 10.4% in Chinese imports of Canadian goods in 2025.
Re-engagement with China has also been fuelled by a push to diversify export markets after US President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on Canada last year and suggested the long-time US ally could become his country’s 51st state. — Reuters
