China is no longer being framed as Canada’s top security threat by Prime Minister Mark Carney, who now describes Beijing as a “new partnership” for economic growth as he prepares for a January 13 visit to meet President Xi Jinping.In confirming the trip, Carney said his government is seeking to reshape Canada’s economy by building new global relationships and reducing reliance on a single trading partner. Blacklock's Reporter says the visit will mark the first high-level talks of its kind since Carney publicly warned that China posed the greatest danger to Canadian security and a federal inquiry compared Chinese Communist Party interference in Canadian elections to criminal activity.“We are forging new partnerships around the world to transform our economy from one that has been reliant on a single trade partner to one that is stronger and more resilient to global shocks,” Carney said.The Prime Minister made no reference to his earlier remarks about China, and his office declined to identify which corporate executives would join the delegation.“Details about the Prime Minister’s upcoming international engagements will follow,” the Prime Minister’s Office said.“In a world of rapid change, Canada’s new government is focused on what we can control,” Carney added. “We are creating a dense web of new connections to attract spending, diversify trade and build a stronger, more independent Canadian economy.”.The shift in tone contrasts sharply with statements Carney made during last spring’s federal election campaign.In an April 17 televised debate, he bluntly identified China as Canada’s biggest security threat when pressed by moderator Steve Paikin.“I think the biggest threat to Canada is China,” Carney said at the time, a position he reaffirmed the following day while expanding on his concerns.“There are several aspects to China,” Carney told reporters on April 18. “It is the second-largest economy in the world. It is our second-largest trading partner.”He also warned that Beijing represented one of the largest sources of foreign interference in Canada, describing the issue as a serious and ongoing threat that required constant countermeasures. Carney further pointed to China’s close relationship with Russia and its support for Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, as well as tensions in Asia and around Taiwan..Carney’s Beijing visit comes nearly one year after the Commission on Foreign Interference released its January 28 final report, which concluded Chinese Communist Party operatives may have helped elect several MPs in the past two federal elections. While the report did not name individuals, it likened foreign interference to an ever-present form of crime that evolves and is difficult to eliminate entirely.Separate records from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service show the previous Liberal government was warned 163 times over six years about foreign interference. A February 21, 2023 intelligence memo described Chinese agents as an “existential threat to Canadian democracy,” warnings that critics say went unanswered as Ottawa now moves to reset its relationship with Beijing.
