Friday October 31, 2025 | INTERNATIONAL [Reporting from VICTORIA, BC]
by MAry P Brooke | IOsland Social Trends
Today in Gyeongju, Republic of Korea, Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney met with the President of the People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping, on the margins of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting.
According to a statement from Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the leaders acknowledged the long history of cooperation between Canada and China, rooted in 55 years of diplomatic relations and trade. The leaders agreed that their meeting marked a turning point in the bilateral relationship.
“This meeting today is long overdue. It has been eight years since a Canadian prime minister has met with the president of China,” said Carney to media after his meeting with Xi. We now have a turning point in the relationship. A turning pint that creates opportunities for Canadian families, for Canadian businesses, and Canadian workers, and also creates a path to address current issues. Very pleased with the outcome of the meeting,” he told media.
Pragmatic and constructive:
“They affirmed their commitment to renewing the relationship between their two countries in a pragmatic and constructive way – building on recent engagement, including Prime Minister Carney’s meeting with Premier Li at the United Nations General Assembly, and the visit from Foreign Affairs Minister, Anita Anand, as well as the Premier of Saskatchewan,” the October 31 statement reads.
Trade issues:
“Both leaders directed their officials to move quickly to resolve outstanding trade issues and irritants. They discussed solutions to respective sensitivities regarding issues including agriculture and agri-food products, such as canola, as well as seafood and electric vehicles.”
A framework to deepen cooperation across a range of areas was discussed – from clean and conventional energy, to agriculture, manufacturing, climate change, and international finance.
In recent months, Saskatchewan in particular was hit hard by a tariff on canola exports to China; China applied the tariff after Canada had placed a tariff on EV imports from China.
A future visit to China:
Prime Minister Carney accepted President Xi’s invitation to visit China at a mutually convenient time, it was stated today by the PMO.
Key issues:
Today’s PMO statement says that Carney looks forward to advancing progress on these key issues between Canada and China and strengthening ties between the two countries. | PMO link: Canada-China Relations
===== RELATED:
Where Prime Minister Carney has been in pre-budget week (October 30, 2025)
NEWS SECTIONS: CANADA-USA | ASIA-PACIFIC | 45th PARLIAMENT of CANADA