Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney met with Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping in South Korea on Friday, October 31, marking the first summit between China and Canada since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s visit to China in December 2017.
The meeting comes at a time of heightened tension in the trade relationship between the two countries, with ongoing tariff disputes and fragile diplomatic relations following the 2018 arrest of Meng Wanzhou. China has also been accused of interfering in Canada’s elections and increasing its cross-border suppression activities.
After the meeting, Carney expressed satisfaction with the outcome and mentioned that officials from both countries will further negotiate on trade issues and points of friction.
Mehmet Tohti, Executive Director of the Uyghur Human Rights Project in Canada, believes that under the current tariff tension, Canada has emphasized the need to diversify trade beyond the United States, but the attitude of Carney’s government may have “exposed Canada’s vulnerabilities a bit too much.”
Tohti stated, “While it may sound pragmatic domestically, to hostile countries or competitors, it may send a signal of weakness – even desperation.”
Former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig, who was detained along with Michael Spavor by Chinese authorities in 2018 in retaliation for Meng Wanzhou’s arrest in Vancouver, stated that China is attempting to reshape the world order. He emphasized the need for caution in all actions when cooperating with China and to establish necessary safeguards and precautions to manage any adverse consequences that may arise from the relationship.
Kovrig expressed discomfort at the sight of seeing the Prime Minister or Foreign Minister shaking hands and smiling with individuals who were involved in their detention and extortion.
Carney’s approach of seeking a way out of the tense trade relationship with China through easing tensions has been questioned by the Conservative Party.
Ahead of the China-Canada summit, Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand had recently concluded a visit to China. She mentioned the establishment of a “strategic partnership” between Canada and China, a statement that was criticized by the Conservative Party. The Conservatives hope that Carney will remain consistent with his earlier statement during the election period that “China is Canada’s greatest security threat.”
During the summit, Canadian Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Tim Hodgson, along with his G7 counterparts in Toronto, reached a crucial mineral agreement aimed at countering China’s market-distorting practices.
Furthermore, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe visited China in early September in hopes of resolving the canola seed trade dispute with China.
As retaliatory measures against China’s tariffs on Canadian electric vehicles and metal products, China has imposed high tariffs on Canadian canola seeds, one of Saskatchewan’s major exports. The imposition of tariffs on Canadian canola seeds has become one of China’s primary means of retaliation and exerting pressure on the Canadian government.