With the start of Donald Trump's second term in the United States, Canada appears to be trying to change its trade strategy.
What you should know
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Beijing.
According to Euronews, Carney arrived in China on Wednesday for a four-day visit with the aim of improving relations that have been frozen for nearly a decade.
During a bilateral meeting in Beijing on Friday, Prime Minister Carney praised the "strategic partnership" between Canada and China. Carney, who took office only 10 months ago, expressed confidence that relations between the two countries would reach new heights.
During the visit, the two countries signed eight agreements, including those on energy, pet food, culture and tourism. Prime Minister Carney pointed out that there is potential for long-term cooperation in the fields of agriculture, energy and finance.
'Turnaround' in relations At the beginning of the meeting, Carney said that he was "very pleased" that Ottawa and Beijing had moved forward with a new strategic partnership. Chinese President Xi also called the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea in October a "turnaround" in relations between the two countries. He expressed his excitement over the resumption of relations with Canada, saying that a 'healthy and stable' relationship would be beneficial for both countries and world peace.
Signs of distancing from the US?
Relations between the two countries had deteriorated significantly in 2018 due to the arrest of an executive of Chinese technology company Huawei and Canada's imposition of a 100 percent tariff on electric vehicles made in China. This is the first visit to China by a Canadian prime minister in 8 years .
According to international media outlet Euronews, Canada seems to be trying to change its trade strategy with the start of Donald Trump's second term in the US. Tensions have increased between Ottawa and Washington due to the Trump administration's high import tariffs on Canada and controversial comments such as making Canada the 51st state of the US.
Canada relies on the US for 75 percent of its total exports. Canada's Foreign Minister Anita Anand also said that she aims to double trade with other countries by reducing trade dependence on the US in the next 10 years. "The global economic environment has fundamentally changed, and Canada will now have to change its trading partners," she said.
Chinese state media has also been suggesting that Canada step out of the US shadow and adopt 'strategic autonomy'. Trump's economic policies have been analyzed as a potential rift in the historic relationship between Canada and the US, with Beijing benefiting from it.
