BEIJING — Canada is entering a “new era of relations” with China, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday, signalling a shift in tone as the two countries move toward discussions on areas where they could act as “strategic partners.”
Carney made the remarks during meetings in Beijing with two of China’s most senior leaders — Premier Li Qiang and Zhao Leji, chair of the standing committee of the National People’s Congress — marking a high-level welcome at the outset of his visit.
“From energy to agriculture to people-to-people ties to multilateralism to issues on security, we believe that the spirit and the substance of these discussions, and these agreements, will provide great benefit to each of our peoples,” Carney said in opening remarks at one meeting. He added that Ottawa hopes renewed engagement will serve as “an example to the world of co-operation amidst a time globally of division and disorder.”
Agreements signed as tone shifts
Following an official welcoming ceremony, senior Canadian ministers signed several memorandums of understanding with Chinese counterparts. While most discussions were held behind closed doors, media were permitted to hear introductory comments at select meetings.
Li described the moment as a “turnaround” in bilateral ties and a “new starting point,” according to a Chinese government translation. He said Carney’s scheduled meeting Friday with President Xi Jinping would help pave the way for “upward growth” in the relationship.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, whose province has been affected by Chinese tariffs on canola, attended one of the meetings alongside federal ministers and senior officials.
In a separate meeting, Zhao said China is looking for “new strategic guidance” from Canada to put the relationship on a path of “healthy, steady and sustainable development.”
The language marks a notable change from last spring’s federal election campaign, when Carney described China as the greatest threat to Canada on the global stage.
Business outreach and trade signals
Carney also spent much of Thursday in closed-door meetings with business leaders, including executives from Alibaba, China National Petroleum, battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology, Primavera Capital Group, and state-owned lender ICBC.
The flurry of activity suggests economic channels are reopening after nearly a decade of strain over trade, security, and diplomatic disputes.
Among the agreements signed were provisions addressing sanitary oversight of pet food and animal health — longstanding irritants for Canadian exporters. Since February 2022, exports of heat-treated dry pet food containing poultry have been halted under China’s avian flu restrictions. Beef exports were also suspended in 2021 following a single case of atypical BSE.
Canadian officials have long expressed frustration over limited engagement on these files, which have constrained agricultural trade.
Major disputes remain unresolved, including Canada’s electric vehicle tariffs and China’s duties on Canadian canola and other agricultural products.
‘Recalibrated’ relationship
Carney is scheduled to meet Xi on Friday. On Thursday, the prime minister said he was “heartened by the leadership of President Xi” and by the “speed with which our relationship has progressed in recent months.”
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand characterized the evolving ties as a “recalibration,” stopping short of calling it a reset and declining to directly answer whether Ottawa still views China as a disruptive global power.
The meetings this week underscore a cautious but deliberate effort by both governments to stabilize relations and explore areas of renewed cooperation.