Xi, Carney hold first formal talks in 8 years as Canada PM accepts invitation to visit China

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney held their first formal talks in eight years on Friday, pledging to strengthen bilateral relations after years of tension, according to a Reuters report.

During the meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, Xi invited Carney to visit China, saying Beijing values Canada’s stated willingness to improve ties.

Carney accepted the invitation, marking a tentative step toward thawing relations that have been frosty since 2017.

The meeting comes at a time when Ottawa is seeking to diversify its economic ties amid ongoing trade tensions with the United States, its largest trading partner.

Canada remains locked in a protracted trade dispute with Washington, while relations with Beijing have only recently begun to thaw.

Carney has previously emphasised the importance of “restarting broad engagement” with China after years of strained ties.

“Prime Minister Carney accepted President Xi’s invitation to visit China at a mutually convenient time,” Carney’s office said in a statement.

Carney and Xi discussed solutions on trade issues including agriculture and agri-food products, such as canola, as well as seafood and electric vehicles, Carney’s office said.

The leaders also discussed a framework to deepen cooperation across a range of areas – from energy, agriculture, manufacturing, climate change, and international finance, according to Carney’s office.

Willing to work with Canada: Xi

Xi said Beijing is willing to work with Canada to put bilateral relations “back on track,” state broadcaster CCTV reported Friday.

Xi told Carney that China values Canada’s stated readiness to improve ties, adding that both sides agreed to resolve specific economic and trade issues and promote the development of the China–Canada strategic partnership, according to CCTV.

Earlier in the day, Carney told a business forum on the sidelines of the APEC meetings that “the world of rules-based liberalised trade and investment has passed,” and that Canada aims to double its non-US exports over the next decade as part of a broader diversification strategy.

China-Canada ties

Canada’s relations with China remain among the most strained of any Western nation, but both countries now find themselves on the receiving end of President Donald Trump’s escalating tariff campaign — even after Xi and Trump struck a deal Thursday to ease tensions.

Ties between Ottawa and Beijing froze in 2018 following the arrest of a senior Chinese telecom executive on a US warrant in Vancouver and China’s retaliatory detention of two Canadians on espionage charges.

In July, PM Carney imposed a 25% tariff on steel imports containing Chinese-origin metal. The following month, Beijing responded with a temporary 75.8% customs duty on Canadian canola — a major export crop used in cooking oil, animal feed, and biodiesel.

Both countries remain key targets of Trump’s trade offensive.

On Thursday, the US president announced he would halve fentanyl-related tariffs on China to 10%, while Xi agreed to maintain rare earth exports and boost U.S. soybean purchases.

“The average US tariff on Chinese imports remains at 47%,” Trump said.

But Trump also renewed his attacks on Canada, saying Saturday that he was raising tariffs on Canadian goods by another 10% and terminating all trade talks.

The move followed what he described as a “fake” anti-tariff ad campaign featuring the late former president Ronald Reagan.

With inputs from agencies