Canadian PM Mark Carney will visit China from Jan 13-17, aiming to strengthen trade, energy and security ties after years of strained relations.
MONTREAL: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will visit China from January 13 to 17, his office announced.
The trip is the first to China by a Canadian leader since 2017 and signals a thaw in relations strained for years.
A Carney spokeswoman said the visit aims to strengthen cooperation in trade, energy, agriculture and international security.
The first sign of improving ties came in late October when Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Carney met in South Korea.
They met on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.
Xi invited Carney to visit China following their meeting, which the Canadian premier called a “turning point”.
The last Canadian leader to visit China was Justin Trudeau, in December 2017.
Ties fell into a deep freeze in 2018 after the arrest of a senior Chinese telecom executive on a US warrant in Vancouver.
China then retaliated with the detention of two Canadians on espionage charges.
Ottawa and Beijing have since engaged in tit-for-tat tariffs, including on Canadian canola.
Canola is an oilseed crop used to make cooking oil, animal meal and biodiesel.
China has also been accused of interfering in Canadian elections in recent years.