【By Observer Net, Qi Qian】

On October 31, Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau attended the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea and met with Chinese leaders.

"This marks a turning point in Canada-China bilateral relations," said Trudeau after the meeting on social media platform X, stating that Canada and China "are committed to rebuilding bilateral relations in a pragmatic and constructive way," and will take action to resolve outstanding trade issues and friction points, "looking forward to making progress on these trade issues while strengthening the relationship between the two countries."

According to a message from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on October 31, the leaders of China and Canada agreed to resume and restart exchanges and cooperation in all fields, promote the resolution of specific economic and trade issues of mutual concern, consolidate the momentum of improvement, and jointly promote the development of the China-Canada strategic partnership.

This meeting has attracted widespread attention from Canadian and Western media. The Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC) stated that this is the first formal meeting between the leaders of the two countries since 2017. The Associated Press mentioned that the leaders of China and Canada took a step towards repairing their strained relations.

According to the website of the Canadian Prime Minister and media reports, during the meeting lasting about 40 minutes, the leaders of China and Canada also discussed deeper cooperation in areas such as energy, agriculture, manufacturing, climate change, and international finance.

After the meeting, Trudeau told journalists: "This meeting should have been held much earlier... I am very satisfied with the outcome of today's meeting. We are now witnessing a turning point in our relationship - a turning point that creates opportunities for Canadian families, Canadian businesses, and Canadian workers."

"We have a long history of interaction," said Trudeau, mentioning the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Canada, while acknowledging that the two countries have become distant in recent years, "in recent years, our interactions have not been as close as before." He also told reporters: "Distance is not a way to solve problems."

Trudeau speaks at the APEC summit. Trudeau's X account

CBC reported that since the Trudeau government actively involved itself in the Sino-US dispute in 2018, Sino-Canadian relations have been in a tense state.

Last year, the Canadian government followed the United States in imposing a 100% tariff on Chinese electric vehicles, and a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum. China has taken countermeasures, including an anti-dumping duty of 75.8% on Canadian canola in August this year.

China is Canada's second-largest trading partner after the United States. Canada is the world's largest exporter of canola. In 2024, the export value of canola products to China approached 5 billion Canadian dollars (about 3.63 billion US dollars). Canadian media reported that the cost of Canadian canola exports immediately soared, and 40,000 canola farmers in western Canada lost tens of thousands of dollars per person.

Canadian citizens realized that the country was caught in a "two-front trade war" with its two largest trading partners, the United States and China.

According to reports, the Trump administration imposed a 35% tariff on all Canadian goods not covered by the existing free trade agreement, and a 50% tariff on steel and aluminum, and a 25% tariff on cars. Last week, Trump was angry at an anti-tariff ad placed by the Premier of Ontario province, and announced the suspension of all trade negotiations, threatening to increase tariffs on Canada by another 10%. It is unclear whether this will take effect and when.

American protectionism has made Canada urgently need to promote the diversification of trade relations, and China's tariffs on Canadian canola, pork, and seafood have further exacerbated its economic difficulties. Earlier, Trudeau stated that Canada would turn to strengthen ties with other major economies. He expressed hope that Canada's non-US exports would double within the next decade.

Canadian media mentioned that recently, Chinese Ambassador to Canada Wang Di posted on social media that Canada's removal of the tariff on electric vehicles would "bring a spring of improved bilateral relations." He told Canadian television that this move would prompt China to reduce its tariffs on Canada.

Bloomberg previously mentioned that the current Trudeau government is reviewing the tariff on Chinese electric vehicles, but faces a dilemma: if it continues to impose the tax, it may affect the process of improving Sino-Canadian relations; but if it cancels the tax now, it might endanger the ongoing review negotiations of the "USMCA" (United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement). The Wall Street Journal also said that Canada wants to reach a large-scale agreement with China, but the reality is that the US will definitely interfere.

Daniel Beland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, said: "The Trump administration is likely to be dissatisfied with the Sino-Canadian reconciliation, but the White House officials should know that they themselves created this situation."

"Removing the tariff on electric vehicles and allowing the sale of Chinese electric vehicles could anger the Trump White House," Beland pointed out, "but moving in this direction will send a strong signal of Sino-Canadian reconciliation, while allowing Canadian consumers to get more affordable electric vehicles."

Before the APEC summit, Canada repeatedly signaled its desire to meet with Chinese leaders. On October 23, Canadian officials held a press briefing, saying that Trudeau is seeking to establish a "strategic relationship" (strategic relationship) with China.

Before his trip, on the evening of the 27th, Trudeau explained why Canada needed to adopt a pragmatic approach to its relations with China. He said, "It is our second-largest trading partner, the world's second-largest economy. In terms of the current global system, China is one of the most influential countries."

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