Carney visits Beijing as Canada seeks to rebalance trade under US pressure

Canadian prime minister Mark Carney is in Beijing this week for a state visit, the first time a Canadian leader has been welcomed there in nearly a decade, in an effort to repair a strained relationship with China. The trip comes amid rupturing global alliances and growing trade tensions with the United States.

Carney has pushed a “reliance to resilience” plan to diversify trade as the White House’s “America First” economic policy forces Canada to rethink an economy that until recently sent about 76% of its exports to the US; China currently accounts for roughly 4% of Canadian exports. Beijing has both wooed and punished trading partners, including imposing 100% duties and an additional 75.8% anti‑dumping tariff on Canadian canola after Ottawa joined Washington in levying a tariff on Chinese electric vehicles in 2024.

The visit also follows allegations of Chinese electoral meddling in Canada, though none are believed to have changed past election results. Canadian officials say talks are expected to focus on energy, agriculture, international security and trade, and analysts say a successful visit could produce a flurry of near‑term agreements.

Key Topics

World, Mark Carney, Canada, China, Canola Oil, Xi Jinping