OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney will make his second trip to China this year as part of a four-country tour of Europe and Asia next week, with his government looking to expand trade ties and attract investment outside the United States.The Prime Minister's Office announced Wednesday that Carney will visit Ireland, the Philippines, Cambodia and China from Nov. 11 to 19, attending four international summits focused on trade, investment and security.His final stop will be Shenzhen, China, where he will attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting.It will be Carney's second visit to China since becoming prime minister in March 2025. His first trip, in January 2026, marked the first visit by a Canadian prime minister to the country since Justin Trudeau travelled there in 2017. During that visit, Carney met Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang as Ottawa sought to repair relations with Beijing following years of trade disputes and diplomatic tensions.The two countries announced a new strategic partnership, including arrangements to ease trade barriers affecting Canadian agricultural exports and Chinese electric vehicles..Under the arrangement, Canada agreed to allow an initial quota of 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles into the country at a tariff rate of 6.1%, rather than the previous 100% surtax. China, meanwhile, agreed to reduce tariffs on Canadian canola seed and remove certain duties on other agricultural products. Wednesday's announcement said the renewed relationship with Beijing is opening more than $7 billion in export markets for Canadian businesses and workers.Carney will also travel to Dublin, Ireland, for the European Political Community Summit, where Canada is pursuing closer ties with the European Union.Ottawa and Brussels recently announced an Alliance for the Future and are working toward Canada becoming the EU's first associate member under a proposed arrangement.The visit follows several trips Carney has made to Europe since taking office, including meetings in France, the United Kingdom, Germany and Switzerland.In Manila, Philippines, Carney will attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit as a guest of the chair.The government hopes to finalize a Canada-ASEAN free trade agreement that it says could unlock more than $3.5 billion in Canadian exports.Carney will also seek to conclude negotiations on a bilateral free trade agreement with the Philippines, which Ottawa projects could triple trade between the two countries by 2035.The prime minister will then attend the Sommet de la Francophonie in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, as Canada prepares to host the gathering in 2028."Canada has what the world wants: the energy, the resources, the talent, the technology, and the capital," Carney said in a statement Wednesday."We are building our strength at home and diversifying our partnerships abroad."The trip comes as the Liberal government continues its efforts to reduce Canada's reliance on the American market, amid trade uncertainty under U.S. President Donald Trump.Carney has made expanding Canada's trade relationships beyond the United States a central part of his government's economic agenda.
