Advertisement
China-Canada relations
ChinaDiplomacy

Xi-Carney talks open door for Canada to ‘make up for lost time’ with China

After years of tension, China’s president says ties with Ottawa are on a ‘trend of recovery’ following the leaders’ meeting

3-MIN READ3-MIN
59
Listen
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the start of a meeting in Gyeongju on Friday. Both sides hailed the meeting as a turning point in what has been a fractious relationship. Photo: Xinhua
Dewey Simin Beijing
The leaders of China and Canada held their first formal talks since 2017 on Friday, with both sides agreeing to revive exchanges and cooperation in an effort to repair strained ties.
Chinese President Xi Jinping met Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, telling him that relations showed a “trend of recovery and positive development” following their nations’ mutual efforts.

“[China] is willing to work with Canada to take this meeting as an opportunity to bring China-Canada relations back onto the right track,” Xi said, according to state news agency Xinhua.

04:30
China’s fourth plenum: party leaders call for boosting self-reliance against ‘raging storms’

The Chinese leader added that China and Canada should view each other “correctly” and expand cooperation in areas ranging from trade and the economy to energy while deepening people-to-people exchanges. The Xinhua report said the two leaders agreed to push to resolve economic issues.

According to Xinhua, Carney said the new Canadian government highly valued its ties with Beijing, looked forward to restarting bilateral cooperation and sought to “make up for lost time” – an apparent reference to heightened tensions between the two countries in recent years.

Select Voice
Select Speed
1x
AI-generated voice