Canada PM Carney to Visit China Next Week With Focus on Trade

By Paul Vieira

OTTAWA--Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to visit China next week, in the latest step to normalize ties with the world's second-largest economy and reduce Canada's reliance on the U.S. for trade.

A spokeswoman for the prime minister said he would travel to China starting Jan. 13, with a focus on talks regarding trade, energy, agriculture and international security. She provided no details on whether Carney would meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The trip is scheduled to end Jan. 17.

Carney has tried to reset ties with China, following the country's testy relations with Beijing under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, stemming from Canada's role in helping the U.S. arrest a senior Huawei Technologies executive in 2018. Carney and Xi met on the sidelines of last fall's leaders' summit of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation members in South Korea. According to a readout of the meeting from Carney's office, the Canadian and Chinese leaders pledged to renew their relationship, and work toward resolving trade irritants between the two economies.

A representative from China's embassy in Ottawa didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Write to Paul Vieira at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

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