Overview
- Canadian and Chinese defence officials met in Ottawa on Friday, Sept. 4, in a working-level defence coordination dialogue that resumed a channel left dormant since 2018.
- Ottawa confirmed the meeting and said it involved routine military-to-military communication at the functional level and did not publicize the session as a matter of practice.
- A Canadian official said fewer than 10 staff attended from the Canadian Armed Forces, the Department of National Defence and Global Affairs, with ranks from colonel to major general.
- China’s Ministry of National Defense publicly described the talks as a candid exchange and said both sides expressed willingness to strengthen practical exchanges and cooperation.
- The restart follows the 2018 freeze after Beijing jailed two Canadians and comes as Ottawa balances concern over China’s regional military activity with a need for channels that can reduce the risk of unintended incidents.