A leader of Canada is visiting China this week for the first time in nearly a decade, a bid to rebuild the country’s fractured relations with the world’s second-largest economy — and reduce Canada’s dependence on the United States.
The push by Prime Minister Mark Carney, who arrives on Wednesday (January 14, 2026), is part of a major rethink as ties sour with the U.S. — the world’s No. 1 economy and long the largest trading partner for Canada by far.
Mr. Carney aims to double Canada’s non-American exports in the next decade in the face of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs and the American leader’s musing that Canada could become “the 51st state”.
“At a time of global trade disruption, Canada is focused on building a more competitive, sustainable, and independent economy,” Mr. Carney said in a statement. “We’re forging new partnerships around the world to transform our economy from one that has been reliant on a single trade partner.”
Mr. Carney will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday (January 16) and other officials.
