Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said that the economic relationship between Canada and China is “significant” as China’s foreign minister Wang Yi begins a three-day trip that will include meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Canadian journalists were not permitted to ask questions about her remarks with Wang. The last time Wang was in Ottawa 10 years ago, he unleashed a tirade on a Canadian reporter who asked about human rights in China at a joint press conference with then-foreign affairs minister Stephane Dion.
Anand made no explicit mention of human rights during her remarks on Friday, which came shortly after confirmation that a Canadian warship transited through the Taiwan Strait last week.
“On May 22, 2026, HMCS Charlottetown conducted a routine transit through the Taiwan Strait, which was completed on May 23, 2026,” a spokesperson with the Department of National Defence stated to Global News.
China claims sovereignty over the democratically governed Taiwan and has stepped up military activities around the island in recent months.
Canada’s former ambassador to China, Guy Saint-Jacques, said that “transit of Canadian ships in the Taiwan Strait would be badly perceived” by Beijing.
Get breaking National news
“I think we have to push back on this and refrain from exercising self-censorship,” he said. “We have to stand by our values.”
Anand said in her remarks that “we are committed to growing this relationship responsibly with a goal of increasing exports towards China by 50 per cent by 2030, while safeguarding Canada’s economic and national security interests and values.”
Wang and Carney met Friday afternoon in the Prime Minister’s Office. A small number of journalists were allowed to briefly photograph and record the two shaking hands but were not permitted to ask questions. Neither made any remarks.
“That’s how things are done in Beijing, and now Mark Carney is importing those methods here.”
Carney visited China in January, meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Carney’s office had cited his visit had a focus on “engagement on trade, energy, agriculture and international security.”
As a result, Canada and China reached a preliminary trade deal in which Beijing agreed to lower or eliminate some tariffs on Canadian agricultural products and Canada agreed to reduce tariffs on some Chinese electric vehicles.
Cheuk Kwan, co-chair of the Toronto Association for Democracy in China, said that there was “still a lot of unfinished business” from Carney’s trip to China.
“The last year has seen China even more aggressive in terms of dealing with Canada,” he said.
Maybe China will open an automobile manufacturing plant in Canada. But they won’t use high priced union workers. They will just grab people off the streets and make them work for free. It makes for very competitive priced EVs.
When China takes over Canada, I don’t expect any resistance from other countries. They will just shrug their shoulders and say “Well that is what Canadians voted for”
Treat china the same way they treat others.
Those who think China is going to take up the lost trade with the USA are not only delusional they are insane. China is a SELLER, China is NOT a BUYER ….. Period !! Our trade with China is miniscule compared to our trade with the USA and even doubled it remains negligable in comparison. Please, GIVE YOUR COLLECTIVE HEADS A SHAKE!! China is after one thing …. Influence and control over Canada because WE are the gateway to easily get into the US market and to give the CCP a base from which to conduct their military and spying plans on the USA. Canada is just the useful idiot they are using to do it.
Trudeau admitted openly that he admired basic dictatorships like China’s.
Canada export trade numbers:
$547.4 Billion – United States
$29.3 Billion – China
… good thing she and the TrudeauCarney fiasco are working so hard with Communist China, and not our democratic and most important trading partner. Elbows ph-kkk’d!
Would you bite your s*gar daddies hand?
Sorry, not a China fan. Im sorry. I dont value any country that kills its own people to instill fear. I dont even eat the food. OUR values!? You mean Liberal values. F*scist turning C*mmunist values.
We are not heard or asked so how do they even know what a Canadian values above all?
We are talked down to by a handful of ministers and Cornhole himself. No one has ever asked us Canadians what we want for our country. These ministers just shove it down our throats. Has been for over a decade now. Trudeau and his sunny ways, open up and swallow now!
Only a fool could not see where they are dragging this country.
@Johnny C.
What we are not permitted to criticize the incompetent Carney regime?
Carneys values is what lines his pocket the most.
Values shouldn’t be for sale. For Anand, it certainly seems that way. Another Trudeau era Cabinet Minister that is a total disaster
Hey Johnny Canuck.
It’s not Canada that these commenters don’t like,it’s the incompetent bumbling Liberal Party that they have issue with which makes every one of these people a true Canadian patriot.
Maybe the Liberals and their brainwashed supporters that should leave the country instead. It would certainly be an improvement
These commenters make me sick. Don’t like Canada? Shut up and leave.
We’ll go ahead and double our exports to a country of billions.
This is the same group helping the liberals trying to stop Alberta separation
I couldn’t survive in canada so I moved to China it’s a much better country leaves Canada behind
Might as well just call the Liberal Party the Western Arm of the CCP
Canada is the mini Chinese communist party
Anand, Carney, and Trudeau admire basic dictatorships. Sad honesty.
Librials are preparing for canada to be full communist soon
BILL C-22 is Chinese law in Canada.
China is the polar opposite of what Canada and Canadians used to stand for.
Hasn’t Canada recognized Taiwan as part of China since the 1970s?
The Liberals and the Conservatives are fools regarding Chinese policy.
Thanks to Immigration Canada, there are few Canadian values left.
The Carney Liberals are already cowtowing to the communist Chinese CCP. Not mentioning human rights issues in China in fear of getting the commie mad, just shows how afraid she is of upsetting her new boss. “If you want to know who rules over you, simply find out who it is you cannot criticize.” Voltaire.
This is incredibly bad.
We are being sold out to China and they will own us. Canadians do not seem to care. Oh well.
Not a bad trader that banker Carney.
I still like him moving Moe’s canola oil for the farmers. for some EVs.
But then again, i judge by Toronto Make-Me Laughs deals. They almost make PP look bright.
Really?
With the man down south, i wouldn’t be surprised if the Chinese took over.
They do anything to make it to college there while in the south they denigrate education. ( And for you trumpers, to “denigrate” means to put down.)