‘A turning point’: Carney ‘very pleased’ after Canada’s first formal meeting with China in eight years

Advertisement 1This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. This combination of file pictures created on October 31, 2025 shows Prime Minister Mark Carney and China's President Xi Jinping. Jinping invited Carney to China, in the first formal talks between the nations' leaders since 2017. Photo by ARIF KARTONO / ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS /AFP via Getty ImagesArticle contentPrime Minister Mark Carney hailed a “turning point” in his nation’s ties with China after a meeting with Chinese Xi Jinping that marked the first formal sitdown in eight years between leaders of the two nations.Sign In or Create an Accountor View more offersArticle content“Very pleased with the outcome of the meeting,” Carney told reporters after meeting with Xi on the sidelines of the annual Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju, South Korea. “We now have a turning point in the relationship — a turning point that creates opportunities for Canadian families, for Canadian businesses and Canadian workers.”Article contentWe apologize, but this video has failed to load.Try refreshing your browser, ortap here to see other videos from our team.We apologize, but this video has failed to load.Try refreshing your browser, ortap here to see other videos from our team.Article contentArticle contentCarney earlier said he welcomed an invitation for him to visit China extended by Xi. China’s president said at the start of their meeting, “In recent times, after mutual efforts, China-Canada ties have shown a recovery and improvement trend. This aligns with both countries’ mutual interest.”Article contentNP PostedGet a dash of perspective along with the trending news of the day in a very readable format.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.Thanks for signing up!A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of NP Posted will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againInterested in more newsletters? Browse here.Article content“China is willing to work with Canada to push China-Canada ties to return to the correct track of being healthy, stable and sustainable as soon as possible,” Xi said.Article contentChina and Canada have gone through multiple strains in recent years that have affected bilateral flows of commerce. The two leaders on Friday discussed solutions to trade irritants including “agriculture and agri-food products, such as canola, as well as seafood and electric vehicles,” according to a readout issued by Carney’s office.Article content‘Move quickly’Article contentIn the sit-down, which lasted about 40 minutes, Carney and Xi directed their respective officials “to move quickly to resolve outstanding trade issues,” the Canadian readout said. They also discussed deeper cooperation in energy, agriculture, manufacturing, climate change, and international finance, it said.Article contentArticle contentThe bilateral relationship plummeted when China detained two Canadians, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, in apparent retaliation for Canada’s arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on a US extradition warrant.Article contentRead More John Ivison: Watch for Carney to deliver a ‘draconian’ budget by stealth Trump, Carney face each other for the first time after fallout over Ontario's anti-tariff ad Advertisement 1Story continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.Article contentThe two men were released in 2021, but ties didn’t dramatically improve — with allegations swirling in Canada that China had interfered in previous elections and Beijing continuing to block imports of Canadian beef and pet food, among other goods.Article content“Our countries have a long history of engagement,” Carney said, noting the recent 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties with Communist-ruled China. “In recent years we have not been as engaged,” he said, in oblique reference to the tensions between the two Pacific nations.Article contentTrudeau chastisedArticle contentFormer leader Justin Trudeau spoke briefly to Xi in late 2023, with that exchange the first time they had spoken since Xi chastised Trudeau in public for allegedly leaking details of a prior meeting.Advertisement 1This advertisement has not loaded yet.Trending Air Canada's very direct response to comedian Matt Rife's 'I hate your guts' check in complaint News If Blue Jays win the World Series, will they go to the White House? Here's what we know Canada Advertisement 2Story continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Supreme Court says mandatory minimum sentences for possession, access to child porn unconstitutional Canadian Politics Two Canadian airports are briefly closing towers over lack of air traffic controllers News FIRST READING: Slashing immigration has already been good for the Canadian economy NP Comment Advertisement 2AdvertisementThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, left, meets Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, in 2017. Photo by Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian PressArticle contentChina hiked tariffs on Canadian canola in August in the latest round of their ongoing trade war, but since then the pace of bilateral contact has picked up, with Carney meeting Chinese Premier Li Qiang last month in New York and Foreign Minister Anita Anand traveling to Beijing earlier this month to meet her Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi.Article contentEarlier this week, had Carney downplayed expectations for immediate tariff relief, saying the meeting would be “the start of a broader discussion.”Article contentHe said there were some areas where the two sides could make quick progress, such as easing travel restrictions on each other’s citizens. But the goal will also be to set conditions for longer-term progress on trickier matters, he added.Article content‘Low base’Article content“We’re starting from a very low base and we can move quite substantially before we start to get to sensitive areas,” Carney told reporters on Monday.Article contentCanada currently has steep tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, steel and aluminum products, which were imposed in 2024 in an effort to match US policies.Article contentArticle contentCarney is seeking to balance his security interests, which overlap with Washington, against his country’s economic wellbeing, which is being tested by Trump’s aggressive trade war. His Asia tour is part of his recently announced goal to double Canada’s exports to markets outside the US within a decade to net an extra C$300 billion ($215 billion) in trade.Article contentOur website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. 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