“Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney took an important step toward reinvigorating his nation's ties with China and diversifying its trade away from the U.S., as Beijing increasingly seeks to woo U.S. allies frustrated with American protectionism.
Carney is using a visit to the Chinese capital to push for closer cooperation with Beijing. In the Great Hall of the People, Chinese Premier Li Qiang hailed the recent turnaround of relations between Beijing and the U.S.'s northern neighbor, with both sides stressing opportunities to bolster trade as they seek to move beyond years of tensions.
Hosting Carney is part of a charm offensive by China, which has sought to present itself as a stabilizing force and upholder of the international order at a moment of deep uncertainty from Venezuela to Iran.
As barriers to trade rise globally, Beijing has been especially determined to keep open the export markets on which its economy relies.
Carney, a former Goldman Sachs dealmaker and central banker in Canada and the U.K., has argued that his country's longstanding, close economic relationship with the U.S. is over as President Trump imposes tariffs and other obstacles. That requires, Carney said, Canada to build deeper ties with other markets.
Without naming the U.S., a statement from Carney's office after Thursday's meeting said he and Li discussed "challenges impacting international trade and global supply chains, and the opportunities for Canada and China to cooperate."
Trade with China, however, won't come close to replacing the U.S. as Canada's key source of growth. Although China is Canada's second-largest trading partner, with two-way trade of about $80 billion over the past 12 months, that pales in comparison to the roughly $1 trillion in U.S.-Canada commerce over the same period.
Beijing and Ottawa both appear ready to stabilize ties after years of tensions that date to Canada's 2018 arrest, on a U.S. extradition request, of a senior Huawei Technologies' chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou. China detained two Canadians for nearly three years until 2021, when the U.S. allowed Meng to return home.
Carney is one of several leaders of U.S. allies to visit China recently, following trips by French President Emmanuel Macron in December and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung this month. Beijing has used each opportunity to promote its vision of a world less dominated by Washington. Yet its initiatives continue to face deep skepticism in the West, in part owing to China's support for Russia and North Korea.
Before Carney's trip, senior Canadian officials tried to temper expectations about its outcomes. Officials said it was unlikely the two countries would reach an agreement to resolve a trade row involving hefty tariffs on Canadian agricultural products and Chinese-made electric vehicles.
China's ambassador to Canada has said Beijing would ditch a 76% tariff on canola seed in exchange for Canada abandoning its 100% tariff on Chinese EVs.
Carney's office said on Thursday that the two sides had signed memorandums of understanding covering energy, combating crime and other issues, providing "the foundation for a new strategic partnership."
Carney is expected to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Friday.
China's huge trade surpluses with many Western countries have hindered its efforts to lure them away from the U.S. Beijing said this week that its global trade surplus hit a record of nearly $1.2 trillion last year. Exports to Canada rose just over 3% last year while imports by China of Canadian goods fell by more than 10%, according to official Chinese data.
Carney's efforts could annoy the Trump administration and disrupt talks on renewing the existing North American trade pact, known as USMCA, former Canadian diplomats and foreign-policy analysts said.” [1]
1. World News: Spurned by Trump, Carney Looks to China --- Beijing welcomes Canadian leader in bid to sustain exports and sideline the U.S. Spegele, Brian; Vieira, Paul. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 16 Jan 2026: A7.
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