BEIJING: At the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will pay an official visit to China from January 14 to 17, marking the first trip by a Canadian premier in eight years and underscoring the recent warming of bilateral relations.
China attaches high importance to the visit, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Monday, adding that the sound and steady development of China-Canada relations serves the common interests of both countries and their peoples.
She noted that China-Canada ties have shown positive momentum toward recovery and improvement since last year through joint efforts by both sides.
In October 2025, the leaders of China and Canada met on the sidelines of the 32nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting in South Korea, where they agreed to resume exchanges and cooperation across various fields, address specific economic and trade concerns, and jointly advance the China-Canada strategic partnership.
That engagement followed a meeting between Premier Li and Carney on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly a month earlier, which was followed by visits to China by senior Canadian officials, including the foreign minister.
Premier Li has expressed China’s readiness to work with Canada to maintain and build on the positive momentum, address economic and trade concerns through dialogue, and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in areas such as energy, green development and tourism.
As a goodwill gesture, China resumed group tour services for Chinese travelers to Canada through travel agencies in November, aiming to boost people-to-people exchanges and strengthen mutual understanding.
Mao said China hopes Prime Minister Carney’s visit will help enhance dialogue and communication, deepen political trust, expand practical cooperation, properly manage differences, and consolidate the improving trajectory of bilateral ties.
China remains Canada’s second-largest trading partner. According to China’s General Administration of Customs, bilateral trade reached $61.74 billion from January to August 2025, marking a year-on-year increase of 7.1 per cent.
In addition to meetings with Chinese leaders, Carney is expected to hold discussions with business representatives to promote cooperation in trade, energy, agriculture and international security. Several senior cabinet members are accompanying him, including the foreign minister, ministers for industry, energy and natural resources, international trade, and agriculture.
The visit comes amid rising global trade uncertainty, with analysts viewing the renewed high-level engagement as a signal of the importance of dialogue and cooperation in maintaining economic stability.
Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald, who visited China last November, said the trip helped revive agricultural dialogue and offered hope to Canadian farmers and canola exporters. He described China as a long-standing and important commercial partner for Canada and reaffirmed Ottawa’s commitment to constructive dialogue on trade issues.
Meanwhile, a recent Ipsos poll showed that more than half of Canadians support closer trade ties and economic agreements with China, reflecting a growing belief that Canada should diversify its trading relationships amid uncertainty in its ties with the United States.
