Carney to Visit China to Discuss Trade with Xi as US Tariffs Weigh on Growth

Prime Minister Mark Carney will visit China next week to meet President Xi Jinping and discuss trade, energy, agriculture and security as Ottawa seeks to rebuild ties; recent reciprocal tariffs with China and US tariff measures have affected Canada’s trade landscape.

Prime Minister Mark Carney will travel to China next week for an official visit that includes a meeting with President Xi Jinping. The visit is part of an effort to rebuild bilateral relations and to reduce Canada’s economic reliance on the United States. Relations cooled after Canada’s 2018 arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou and the subsequent detention of two Canadians until 2021. Recent reciprocal tariffs with China and new US tariffs on steel and other goods have added urgency to talks about trade and diversification. What is known: - Carney is scheduled to meet Xi and to discuss trade, energy, agriculture and international security, according to his office. - This will be the first trip by a Canadian prime minister to China in nearly a decade, following a diplomatic dispute tied to the 2018 Meng Wanzhou arrest and the detention of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. - Since 2024, Canada and China have imposed reciprocal tariffs; Canada raised import duties on some Chinese electric vehicles, steel and aluminum, while China added duties on some Canadian agricultural products including canola. - US tariffs on steel, aluminum, autos and lumber have prompted Canadian efforts to diversify trade away from the US, and Carney has set a goal of doubling non-US exports over the next decade. - The article mentions Canadian retailers such as Lululemon and Canada Goose as examples Carney cited of firms that might benefit from deeper ties with China. Summary: The visit is scheduled for next week and will include preparatory meetings by Canadian officials and a formal meeting between Carney and Xi. The talks aim to address trade, energy and agricultural ties, but the article reports that any changes to tariffs or specific trade outcomes are undetermined at this time.