Canadian Prime Minister Carney: Canada-China relations are entering a "new era"

[Global Times reporter Chen Zishuai, Global Times special correspondent in Canada Tao Duanfang] Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau began his official visit to China on January 14. Li Qiang stated that with the joint efforts of both sides, China-Canada relations have taken a turn for the better, which is widely welcomed by all sectors in both countries. Maintaining healthy and stable development in China-Canada relations is in the common interests of both countries. According to reports from Canadian Press and Reuters on the 15th, Carney stated on the same day that Canada is entering a "new era" in its relations with China. Carney said that their team has been working hard to resolve trade frictions and build a platform for new cooperation opportunities. "I believe that we are working together to bring this relationship back to its rightful state."

Li Qiang stated that standing at a new starting point, China is willing to adhere to the strategic partnership orientation with Canada, strengthen dialogue and communication, enhance political mutual trust, respect each other's core interests, seek common ground while reserving differences, bridge differences through seeking common ground, continuously expand pragmatic cooperation, and add more impetus to the development of both countries.

Li Qiang pointed out that China and Canada have strong economic complementarities, and their cooperation boasts strong endogenous momentum and vast potential. China is willing to strengthen the alignment of development strategies with Canada, continue to restore and promote exchanges in various fields and at various levels, make good use of the dialogue mechanisms between the two governments in economy and trade, science and technology, agriculture, etc., promote the steady growth of bilateral trade, enhance the level of trade facilitation, deepen cooperation in clean energy, digital technology, modern agriculture, aerospace, advanced manufacturing, finance, and other fields, and cultivate more new economic growth points.

Carney stated that Canada-China relations have a long history, with Canada being one of the first Western countries to recognize the People's Republic of China. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the Canadian government has always firmly adhered to the One-China policy. Carney also mentioned that Chinese enterprises are welcome to invest and develop businesses in Canada, and Canadian enterprises are full of confidence in deepening cooperation with China. In the current international situation, which is undergoing profound changes, Canada is willing to strengthen communication and collaboration with China, jointly support the United Nations in playing a central role in international affairs, safeguard the multilateral trading system, defend multilateralism, and promote world peace, stability, and prosperity.

After the talks, the two prime ministers jointly witnessed the signing of multiple cooperation documents covering economy and trade, customs, energy, construction, culture, public security, and other fields. Earlier on the 15th, the Chinese and Canadian foreign ministers also held a meeting.

Liu Dan, a researcher at the Canada Research Center of the Institute of Regional and Country Studies at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, told the Global Times reporter on the 15th that this visit marked a crucial turning point after eight years, representing a substantial "ice-breaking" and restart, signaling that Sino-Canadian relations have officially entered a new cycle of engagement and dialogue from a long period of confrontation and alienation. The relationship between the two countries is expected to embark on pragmatic cooperation based on their high economic complementarity. Canada urgently needs diversification in its energy and agricultural product exports to break away from its dependence on the United States, while China requires resource security and industrial chain safety. This provides a solid material foundation for the improvement of bilateral relations.

This visit marks the first trip to China by a Canadian Prime Minister since 2017. Tensions have repeatedly arisen in bilateral relations in recent years. Since Carney took over as Prime Minister last year, the pace of resuming dialogue between the two sides has noticeably accelerated, with frequent meetings and phone calls between senior officials, culminating in the meeting between the two leaders in South Korea last October. According to Reuters, Carney on the 15th highly praised the leadership of Chinese leaders and the rapid progress made in bilateral relations, stating that the thawing of relations between the two countries has paved the way for the establishment of a strategic partnership in multiple fields.

On the 14th, the Canadian Press quoted experts as saying that despite the short duration, the visit holds significant importance. This is because Canada and China are attempting to resolve the diplomatic tensions that have persisted for many years, and Ottawa is striving to achieve its goal of doubling exports to non-US markets by 2035. Reuters mentioned that after the United States imposed tariffs on Canada last year and hinted that the latter could become the "51st state of the United States", Canada has made efforts to diversify its export markets.

Strengthening trade is the focus of Carney's visit. According to a report by the Canadian Press on the 15th, since arriving in Beijing, Carney has met with executives from several Chinese companies. The report stated, "All of this indicates that after nearly a decade of trade, security, and diplomatic frictions, the door to new economic cooperation between the two countries may be about to open.".

Liu Dan analyzed that the "strategic partnership" emphasized by Canada is different from the past, with a stronger focus on non-zero-sum game, indicating that Canada is unwilling to fully follow the United States in containing China, but rather hopes to seek coexistence and cooperation on the basis of safeguarding sovereignty and interests. However, despite these positive signals released by these remarks, it is still necessary to observe subsequent actions.