Canada and China have agreed to regularise their channels of communication, according to a statement from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office on Thursday, June 5.
This development follows a period of strained diplomatic relations between the two nations.
During a call between Prime Minister Carney and Chinese Premier Li Qiang, the leaders “exchanged views on bilateral relations, including the importance of engagement,” and committed to re-establishing regular communication.
Their discussion also covered trade and included a pledge for their governments to collaborate on addressing the fentanyl crisis.
Relations between Beijing and Ottawa have been tense since 2018, when a senior Chinese telecom executive was arrested in Canada on a US warrant.
China’s state news agency Xinhua reported that Premier Li informed Carney that “in recent years, China-Canada relations have faced unnecessary disturbances and encountered serious difficulties.”
Li added that China is “willing to work with Canada to jointly uphold multilateralism and free trade” in response to rising unilateralism and protectionism, noting that the call was initiated by Carney.
Both Canada and China have been subjected to, and have condemned, recent tariff hikes imposed by US President Donald Trump.
