Advertisement
US-China trade war
EconomyGlobal Economy

China, Canada poised to reset trade ties after Trump’s tariffs force rethink

Crude, copper and iron top Canada’s exports to China, as prime minister seeks to mend relationship with Beijing

Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
29
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carne shakes hands with President Xi Jinping at the start of a meeting in Gyeongju, South Korea, on October 31, 2025. Photo: AP
Ralph JenningsandKandy Wong
Canada and China appear ready to kick-start trade talks after years of strained relations, with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to Beijing this week coinciding with both countries questioning their once stronger ties with the United States, analysts said.

Carney travelled to Beijing on Tuesday for his first official visit to the country, where he will discuss trade, agriculture and energy with officials from Canada’s second-largest single-country trading partner.

Liang Yan, a professor of economics at Willamette University in the US, called Carney’s five-day trip a “starting point”.

Advertisement

“This visit, I think, is to repair some of those relationships and maybe establish some of those trade ties,” Liang said. “I think it is quite significant. You couldn’t imagine this happening before Trump 2.0.”

High-profile arrests of each other’s citizens had hurt the bilateral relationship before US President Donald Trump’s second term. In 2024, Ottawa imposed a 100 per cent tariff on Chinese electric vehicles and 25 per cent levies on steel and aluminium. Beijing retaliated with duties on Canadian canola, pork and seafood.
Advertisement

Since Trump took office a year ago, however, Chinese and Canadian officials have railed against Washington’s tariffs and trade restrictions.

Advertisement
Select Voice
Choose your listening speed
Get through articles 2x faster
1.25x
250 WPM
Slow
Average
Fast
1.25x