Ottawa is anticipating a potential meeting between Prime Minister Mark Carney and Chinese President Xi Jinping during an upcoming summit in South Korea, a high-ranking Canadian government official informed the media on Thursday. Carney, emphasizing the importance of reestablishing a broad dialogue with Beijing following a period of strained relations, is scheduled to attend an APEC summit in Seoul. In a recent statement, he expressed his anticipation of engaging with senior Chinese officials in the near future.
“We are optimistic about the possibility of a meeting and will make necessary arrangements… we are keen on a potential encounter at APEC,” stated a senior government official during a briefing when asked about the likelihood of a meeting with Xi.
In August, China imposed preliminary anti-dumping duties on Canadian canola imports, a move that came a year after Canada announced a 100% tariff on imports of Chinese electric vehicles. Last Friday, senior officials from Canada and China engaged in discussions regarding the disputes over canola and electric vehicles; however, Ottawa did not indicate any immediate breakthrough from the talks.