Analysts say Carney-Xi meeting set right tone, urge caution on next steps

By Canadian Press on October 31, 2025.

OTTAWA — Some analysts say Prime Minister Mark Carney’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping might set the right tone in moving the bilateral relationship forward, though they also urge caution.

Margaret McCuaig-Johnston of the China Strategic Risks Institute says Carney had a successful meeting that set the tone for high-level engagement without conceding things to Beijing.

She says Canada should look at conventional energy as a way to partner with China, while keeping restrictions on Chinese electric vehicles that protect the auto sector and prevent security risks.

Carney met with Xi on the sidelines of the APEC summit in South Korea earlier today, with both leaders touting positive outcomes from the 40-minute meeting.

Sen. Clément Gignac co-chairs the Canada-China Legislative Association, and says he’s delighted both countries are recalibrating the relationship because Beijing must be a part of Ottawa’s aim to double non-U.S. exports over the next decade.

Dennis Molinaro, a national-security researcher with Ontario Tech University, says Canada is making “a colossal mistake” in warming up to China without clearly articulating Canada’s concerns over foreign interference.

Vina Nadjibulla of the Asia-Pacific Foundation says Beijing’s approach to security issues hasn’t changed, and so Canada must be cautious in how it works with China in order not to undercut negotiations with Washington.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 31, 2025.

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press