In a strategic move to reduce Canada’s reliance on its southern neighbour, Prime Minister Mark Carney has embarked on a landmark visit to China, securing a “preliminary but landmark” trade deal and charting a new course for the country’s geopolitical alliances.
Carney’s trip to Beijing, the first by a Canadian Prime Minister in nearly a decade, comes at a critical juncture as tensions between North American countries and China continue to simmer. Driven by a “sense of urgency” to diversify Canada’s export markets away from the United States, which receives around 70% of the country’s exports, Carney has sought to “reset” and “recalibrate” the relationship with China.
The trade agreement announced during the visit includes provisions allowing up to 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles into the Canadian market and lowering tariffs on Canadian canola, lobster, seafood and peas. While welcomed by some senior Canadian politicians, the deal has also faced criticism from those who argue it could undermine Canadian workers.
Carney has framed the partnership with China as a necessary step in adapting to a “new world order,” a view that aligns with Beijing’s position that the days of US-led global dominance are coming to an end. The joint statement issued by the two countries emphasises the need for cooperation and partnership in a “more divided and fragmented” world.
However, experts caution that Canada’s efforts to forge closer ties with China should not be seen as a clean break from the difficult relations of the past. Michael Kovrig, a former diplomat and senior Asia adviser for the International Crisis Group, warns that “history says otherwise” and that China policy often follows a cycle of “optimism, friction, damage control.”
Carney has acknowledged the existence of “red lines” for Ottawa, including concerns about human rights and interference in Canadian elections. Nevertheless, he has emphasised the need to “take the world as it is, not as we wish it to be,” a pragmatic approach that reflects the realities of the evolving global landscape.
As Canada navigates this new geopolitical landscape, Carney’s visit to China has set the stage for a strategic partnership that aims to reduce the country’s reliance on the United States and position it for the “new world order.” However, the long-term implications of this shift remain to be seen, and the government will need to carefully balance its interests and values as it deepens its engagement with China.
