Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney is en route to China for a pivotal visit aimed at resetting ties with Beijing and finding new economic opportunities for his country outside the US.
It will not be an easy task, with pressure on Canada to balance its goal of diversifying trade without risking damage to its relationship with Donald Trump or compromising national security and human rights commitments.
But with ongoing uncertainty over Canada's trade future with the US – its largest customer – the country now finds itself seeking to repair strained relations to protect its economy.
Senior Canadian officials have described the trip, the first to China by a Canadian prime minister since 2017, as "consequential and historic" and part of a "bold" plan to double Canada's non-US exports over the next decade.
Trade will be on the agenda, along with agriculture and international security, Carney's office said. Beijing's foreign ministry said the two countries have "shared interests" and should work to "increase people-to-people ties and cultural exchanges".
