MONTREAL – Prime Minister Mark Carney on Jan 13 will begin

a state visit to China

Chinese President Xi Jinping invited Mr Carney last October during a meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, which Mr Carney described as a “turning point” in the two nations’ strained relationship.

The Jan 13-17 trip seeks to “strengthen cooperation in the areas of trade, energy, agriculture and international security”, a Carney spokeswoman told AFP.

“It’s a huge step forward,” said Mr Gordon Houlden, a former Canadian diplomat and director of the University of Alberta’s China Institute.

Mr Houlden told AFP that if “some of the commercial problems that are affecting our exports had a political origin, then solving the political origin may, or should, have some positive effect on the trade”.

The last Canadian leader to visit China was Mr Justin Trudeau, in December 2017.

Ties withered in 2018 after the arrest of a senior executive from Chinese tech giant Huawei on a US warrant in Vancouver and China’s retaliatory detention of two Canadians on espionage charges.

China has also been accused of interfering in Canadian elections in recent years.

Mr Carney will meet Chinese Premier Li Qiang and business leaders for the trade negotiations, which will focus on efforts to attract new investors and secure strategic partnerships.

In the face of protectionism and attacks from US President Donald Trump, he also will seek to develop new markets in order to lessen Canada’s economic dependence on its neighbour to the south.