Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in Beijing on Wednesday night for a landmark four-day visit intended to repair strained relations and diversify Canada’s trade partnerships away from the United States. The trip marks the first visit by a Canadian leader to China in nearly a decade and comes amid rising tensions with Washington.
Carney is scheduled to meet with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang during the trip, which runs through Jan. 17. The visit follows an initial meeting between Carney and Xi at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea last October.
Canadian PM’s visit to China coincides with increased American pressure
The diplomatic push coincides with increased pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who has imposed tariffs on Canadian exports and recently suggested that Canada could become the 51st US state.
Trump’s administration has also pursued what Canadian officials describe as “economic aggression” and military action against other nations. “We will double non-U.S. trade over the next 10 years. That means we are cognizant of the fact that the global economic environment has fundamentally changed and that Canada must diversify its trading partners,” Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said upon arriving in Beijing.
China is currently Canada’s second-largest single-country trading partner, with two-way merchandise trade totaling US$118.7 billion in 2024. However, the trade balance is heavily skewed, with Canadian imports from China reaching US$88.8 billion compared to just US$29.9 billion in exports.
Just landed in Beijing.
The relationship between Canada and China has created opportunities and prosperity on both sides of the Pacific.
We’re ready to build a new partnership — one that builds on the best of our past, and responds to the challenges of today. pic.twitter.com/NzW4qwBQrW
— Mark Carney (@MarkJCarney) January 14, 2026
Relations between Ottawa and Beijing have been deteriorating since late 2018, following the arrest of a Chinese technology executive at the request of the United States. Tensions escalated further in 2024 when the government of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau followed the Biden administration’s lead by imposing a 100% tariff on Chinese-made electric vehicles and a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum.
Beijing retaliated with its own tariffs on Canadian exports, including canola, seafood, and pork. Minister Anand noted that negotiations regarding the canola tariffs are ongoing and described recent conversations as productive. “Prime Minister Carney is here to recalibrate the Canada-China relationship,” she said.
China urges Canada to pursue strategic autonomy
Chinese state media has urged Canada to pursue “strategic autonomy,” a foreign policy path independent of American influence. Beijing views the friction between Ottawa and Washington as an opportunity to loosen the long-standing ties between the North American allies.
Following his meetings in China, Carney will travel to Davos, Switzerland, from Jan. 19 to 21 to attend the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting. His office stated the goal of the trip is to position Canada as a premier destination for global capital, emphasizing the country’s move from “reliance to resilience” by building a web of connections beyond a single trade partner.
Despite the diplomatic deep freeze of recent years, people-to-people ties remain significant. More than 1.8 million Canadian residents are of Chinese origin, and as of December 2024, approximately 100,000 Chinese citizens held valid study permits in Canada.