New chapter in China-Canada economic and trade cooperation

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's visit to China has marked a new era of trade cooperation between the two countries.

During talks, leaders of the two countries proposed to advance the building of a new strategic partnership with a framework that underpins a series of landmark outcomes for Sino-Canadian economic and trade ties.

At the core of this "new" partnership lies in targeted collaboration, institutional upgrading and win-win development in a shifting global economic landscape.

A key deliverable of the visit is the signing of a comprehensive economic and trade cooperation roadmap, which serves as an actionable blueprint for deepening bilateral engagement across eight key sectors. 

Covering areas ranging from the operation of the Joint Economic and Trade Commission to food security, green trade, e-commerce and personnel exchange facilitation, the roadmap reflects the two countries' resolve to align cooperation with the trends of the modern global economy, while addressing both traditional strengths and emerging growth areas.

The visit also yielded substantive progress on long-standing trade frictions of mutual concern.

China and Canada have reached several consensuses on resolving disputes involving electric vehicles (EVs), steel, aluminum, rapeseed, and agricultural and aquatic products.

Notably, Canada has announced an annual quota of 49,000 Chinese EVs to enter its market at the most-favored-nation tariff rate of 6.1 percent, exempting these vehicles from the 100-percent surtax imposed in 2024. This policy adjustment is viewed by China as a positive step in the right direction. Both countries are set to deepen collaboration in the EV sector through continued friendly consultations.

In a move to institutionalize bilateral trade dialogue, both countries agreed to upgrade the China-Canada Joint Economic and Trade Commission from a vice-ministerial to a ministerial-level mechanism. This elevation is designed to facilitate the full resumption of dialogue among all working groups –including those focusing on intellectual property and trade remedies –and reaffirms the commission's role as the primary channel for advancing cooperation and managing trade differences.

The 28 cooperation measures outlined in the roadmap are not merely numerical targets; they represent concrete steps toward a shared future of mutually beneficial cooperation. The holistic planning that integrates traditional sectors and emerging industries demonstrates that Sino-Canadian partnership is not resting on past achievements but is actively evolving to adapt to the dynamics of the global economy.

As China's status as Canada's second-largest trading partner attests, the two countries enjoy a solid foundation for economic and trade exchanges, underpinned by highly complementary resource endowments and economic structures. Deepening bilateral cooperation aligns with Canada's goal of economic diversification and China's pursuit of high-quality development, delivering tangible benefits for both sides.

Against the backdrop of mounting global economic challenges, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to multilateralism, pledged support for the United Nations in playing its central role in international affairs, and vowed to uphold and improve the rules-based multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core, as well as to maintain the stability and smooth functioning of global industrial and supply chains.

Looking ahead, the two countries will work jointly to implement the hard-won outcomes of the visit. Leveraging the upgraded Joint Economic and Trade Commission mechanism, China and Canada are poised to expand cooperation, resolve disputes properly, and promote the healthy, stable and sustainable development of their economic and trade relations.