Chinese President Xi Jinping invited Prime Minister Mark Carney to visit China as the pair met on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea on Friday.
Xi’s invitation, offered during brief remarks at the beginning of the meeting, marks a significant thaw in relations between the two countries.
Carney accepted and said he is very much looking forward to a visit to China, which would be the first such official visit by a Canadian prime minister since Justin Trudeau’s attempt to launch trade talks in 2017.
“It’s through this constructive and pragmatic dialogue that we will address a path for current issues, that we will establish a road to seize the many great opportunities between our countries, and also to have the platform that’s needed for the dialogue to help build a more sustainable, inclusive international system,” Carney said.
The meeting comes as Ottawa shifts from branding China as a “disruptive global power” three years ago, to calling it a strategic partner in a turbulent world.
Carney has faced pressure from some premiers to drop the 100 per cent tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. Beijing says it needs that to end its retaliatory tariffs on Canadian canola products, seafood and pork products.
China has urged Canada to focus on shared goals after years of the relationship being dominated by concerns surrounding foreign interference and the 2018 detainment of two Canadians.
Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada vice-president of research and strategy Vina Nadjibulla says Chinese President Xi Jinping believes U.S. trade disruptions are giving China a global momentum, and says that Prime Minister Mark Carney will enter a Friday meeting with Xi with especially little leverage against a country that is difficult to negotiate with ‘on any day.’