Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in Beijing. Photo: Collected

BEIJING, Jan 14, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived 
in Beijing on Wednesday for a state visit, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV 
said.

Carney, who is expected to meet President Xi Jinping for talks on Friday, is 
the first Canadian leader to visit China in eight years.

The two leaders met on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation 
summit in South Korea in October, which Carney described as a "turning point" 
in the two nations' strained relationship.

Carney's predecessor Justin Trudeau visited China in December 2017.

But ties withered in 2018 after the arrest of a senior executive from Chinese 
tech giant Huawei on a US warrant in Vancouver and China's retaliatory 
detention of two Canadians on espionage charges.

China has also been accused of interfering in Canadian elections in recent 
years.

Aside from Xi, Carney will meet with Premier Li Qiang and business leaders 
for trade negotiations.

Beijing said this week it "attaches high importance" to the visit.