Overview
- Prime Minister Mark Carney is slated to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping at 4 p.m. local time (0700 GMT) on Friday at the APEC summit in South Korea.
- This will be the first formal meeting between a Canadian prime minister and the Chinese president since 2017 after years of strained relations.
- Carney’s Asia tour has focused on reducing reliance on the U.S. by courting new markets, pitching Canada as an energy supplier, and pressing to accelerate ASEAN trade talks.
- Ottawa and Beijing recently revived a strategic partnership communications channel to manage disputes, but talks on canola duties and Canada’s 100% tariff on Chinese EVs have yet to yield a breakthrough.
- Analysts do not expect immediate tariff rollbacks, though some in Ottawa are considering options, and business groups say any progress would likely be incremental.