Mark Carney will visit China, the first Canadian Prime Minister to do so in eight years.
The planned visit, which will take place from Jan. 13 to 17, aims to improve engagement between officials in Ottawa and Beijing on trade, energy, agriculture and international security.
The last Canadian prime minister to visit China was Justin Trudeau in 2017.
The relationship between the two countries has been tense since 2018, after Canada arrested Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on behalf of the U.S. over fraud charges.
China quickly detained Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor over allegations of espionage. Both men were released after more than 1,000 days in a Chinese prison.
Canada and China have also been engaged in trade skirmishes, mostly over electric vehicles and agriculture products.
However, Carney has signalled a desire to improve relations with China. Last year, he met
Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit.
Carney said at the time that he had accepted Xi’s invitation for a state visit to China.
According to Statistics Canada, trade between Canada and China in 2024 totaled $118.7 billion. And of that number, about $30 billion were Canadian exports to the Asian nation.
Carney’s visit to China also comes amid increased aggression on the part of the neighboring U.S.
In recent days, the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has attacked Venezuela, captured its President Nicolás Maduro, and is threatening to takeover Greenland by force.
Trump has also said that the U.S. will assert control over the western hemisphere. In the past, the U.S. president has threatened to make Canada the 51st U.S. state.
Carney has responded to the situation in the U.S. by trying to deepen Canada’s ties with other allies, in Europe and now China.
