Canadian PM Carney’s China trip signals shift in trade strategy: Analyst

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0 January 15, 2026 00:18

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is in China for a four-day state visit – the first by a Canadian leader in nearly a decade – as Ottawa looks to recalibrate its complex relationship with Beijing. The trip comes as new data shows Chinese imports from Canada fell 10.4 per cent last year, largely due to tariffs on Canadian canola that have hurt farmers. Analysts say easing these trade frictions is a key objective of the visit. Margaret McCuaig-Johnston, senior fellow at the University of Ottawa’s Graduate School of Public & International Affairs, tells CNA’s Asia First about the significance of the trip. She also discusses Canada’s efforts to diversify trade away from the United States, and how Washington could view Ottawa’s outreach to Beijing at a sensitive moment.

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