• 2 sides sign MoUs on China-Canada economic, trade, energy cooperation, and combating crimes

ISTANBUL

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Friday sought bilateral ties with China that are “adapted to new global realities” during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.

“We're focusing on areas where we can make historic gains, in agriculture, in energy, in finance, that's where we can make the most immediate progress,” Carney said at the start of the meeting.

“Together, we can build on the best of what this relationship has been in the past, to create a new one, adapted to new global realities that will deliver stability, security, and prosperity for people on both sides of the Pacific,” Carney told Xi.

He said ties with China will also help "improve the multilateral system -- a system that has in recent years come under great strain."

The trip to China by Carney signaled Ottawa’s efforts to reduce reliance on the US as its primary trading partner.

The Canadian prime minister's comments come amid US tariffs as well as the Trump administration's military raid in Venezuela. The Trump administration has also threatened to make Canada the 51st state of the US.

Beijing imposed tariffs on Canada last year after Ottawa introduced duties on Chinese electric vehicles, steel, and aluminum.

Carney has said he aims to double non-US exports over the next 10 years.

Xi hails 'turning point' in Canada ties

For his part, Xi said that China-Canada relations reached a “turning point” at their last meeting in South Korea last October.

“In the past couple of months, the agencies of our two countries have engaged in deep discussions on resuming and restarting cooperation across the board and producing the positive results. I am heartened by the progress,” Xi told Carney.

“A healthy and stable China-Canada relationship serves the common interest of our two countries. It is also good for the peace, stability and prosperity of the world,” Xi said.

Xi said that China is ready to continue to work with Canada “with a sense of responsibility for the history, for the people and for the world to further advance the relationship in a positive direction and bring it on a track of healthy, steady and sustainable development.”

The meeting came after Carney met Premier Li Qiang on Thursday, where Li expressed an interest in enhancing cooperation with Canada.

According to a joint statement released after the meeting, the two sides committed to advancing a "new strategic partnership," while Canada reaffirmed its long-standing commitment to its one-China policy.

The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to multilateralism, supporting the central role of the UN in international affairs, safeguarding and improving the rules-­based multilateral trading system underpinned by the World Trade Organization (WTO), and keeping global industrial and supply chains stable and smooth.

They signed memoranda of understanding (MoUs) on the China-Canada economic and trade cooperation roadmap, energy cooperation, combating crimes, modern wood construction, culture, food safety, and animal and plant health cooperation.

Carney arrived on Wednesday for a four-day visit, marking the first trip to China by a Canadian premier in eight years.

Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited China in 2017.

A Canadian statement said Carney’s meetings in China aim to elevate engagement on "trade, energy, agriculture, and international security."

Canada and China established relations in 1970, and the bilateral trade volume stood at $67 billion at the end of 2024.