Carney visits China seeking trade breakthrough and relations reset

Prime Minister Mark Carney is in China this week with a large ministerial delegation to pursue trade talks, including negotiations tied to Canada's 100-per-cent tariff on Chinese electric vehicles; he is scheduled to meet Premier Li Qiang on Thursday and President Xi Jinping on Friday.

Prime Minister Mark Carney is making his first trip to China this week with a five-member cabinet delegation. The trip combines efforts to secure trade progress and to rebuild a more developed relationship after years of strained ties. Ottawa is focused on resolving a trade dispute linked to Canada's 2024 100-per-cent tariff on Chinese electric vehicles and on attracting foreign investment. The government has said some sectors, including artificial intelligence, critical minerals and defence-related firms, will remain off-limits. Known details: - Mr. Carney's entourage includes Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand, Industry Minister Mélanie Joly, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson, Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald and International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu. - The prime minister will arrive in China midweek, meet Premier Li Qiang on Thursday and President Xi Jinping on Friday, and depart after a short visit. - Canada and China have been negotiating around the 2024 EV tariff and related Chinese retaliatory levies on agricultural products such as canola and seafood, and talks were reported to be continuing up to Mr. Carney's arrival. - Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe will join part of the trip, raising expectations of discussions about agricultural exports. - The government has signalled openness to Chinese investment in areas such as energy while maintaining stated restrictions on AI, critical minerals and defence-related companies; the status of the 2012 oil sands investment restriction was reported as unclear. Summary: The visit aims to seek trade progress and to open the door to more investment from China while keeping specific security-related limits in place. Negotiations are continuing and senior meetings are scheduled in Beijing, with outcomes undetermined at this time.