Ties with China ‘more predictable’ than those with US, says Canada's Carney

The progress made in ties with Beijing in recent months has shown China is "more predictable" than the US, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Friday after meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Carney was addressing a news conference in Beijing, where he discussed improving ties with the world's second-largest economy amid tariffs imposed by the US.

Recalling his conversations with Chinese leaders, including Xi and Premier Li Qiang, over the past several months, Carney said: "We spend a fair bit of time in all meetings (with the Chinese side) about the guardrails of the relationship: where we felt we could cooperate, where we had differences of opinion, [and] where we had differences in view in the system."

"Respecting each other's differences in the system and that sort of candid and consistent and frank dialogue… that leads to a more predictable and effective relationship," he told reporters.

Carney, however, said Canada's ties with the US were "much more multifaceted, much deeper, and much broader" when compared to China.

"But yes, in terms of the way that our relationship has progressed in recent months with China, it is more predictable, and you see results coming from that," said Carney in response to a question whether it was "fair to say… that China is a more predictable, and maybe reliable, partner to Canada than the US is today."

The trip to China by Carney, the first in eight years by any Canadian prime minister, signaled Ottawa's efforts to reduce reliance on the US as its primary trading partner.

The Canadian prime minister's comments come amid US tariffs as well as the Trump administration's military raid in Venezuela. The Trump administration has also threatened to make Canada the 51st state of the US.

Trump imposed tariffs on some imports from Canada, raising the levies up to 35%.

Carney said he aims to double non-US exports over the next 10 years.

In Beijing, he also announced Canada will allow the import of up to 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles, significantly reducing tariffs, which amounted to 100% until before he began his four-day trip on Wednesday.

He added that Beijing will reduce tariffs on imports of canola seeds from about 84% to about 15%.

Since establishing ties in 1970, the bilateral ties between Canada and China have advanced to a "new strategic partnership," and their trade volume stands at around $67 billion at the end of 2024.

ONE-CHINA POLICY

Canada's one-China policy, which was set in 1970 and "has not changed (and) remains constant" across the political divide, Carney said.

"We have relations with the government here (in Beijing) with the People's Republic of China, and we have people-to-people relations in Taiwan," he said, responding to questions that two Canadian lawmakers had cut short their trip to Taiwan.

The two Canadian lawmakers "participated in the people-to-people portion of that trip… not in the government portion," Carney clarified.

"That is straightforward: not causing confusion about what the policy of the government has been over the course of the last 55 years," he stressed.

China claims Taiwan as its "breakaway province," while Taipei has insisted on its independence since 1949.

Carney, however, said the security landscape "continues to change in a world that is more diverse and divided."

"We face many threats, and that is the reality, and my responsibility… is to manage those threats by building resilience, security through alliances (and) engagement… We are pursuing all of those," he said.

"While the threat environment has increased, the risks have multiplied, so too has our resilience and our engagement," he added.