Front Burner

Stuck in the middle: Mark Carney in China

A primer on Mark Carney’s high stakes trip to Beijing, and how the U.S. and China – two problematic superpowers – have him walking a diplomatic tightrope.
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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, right, and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, right, and Chinese President Xi Jinping make their way to their seats after shaking hands at the start of a meeting in Gyeongju on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld (The Canadian Press)
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Mark Carney arrives in Beijing today to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. It’s the first time in nearly a decade for a Canadian Prime Minister to do so, and the stakes are high.

Carney has to balance his handling of two problematic superpowers during these talks. 

On the one hand, he wants to double non-U.S. exports abroad in the next decade and China is the second largest market in the world. On the other,  a closer relationship with China could set Canada on a collision course with a U.S. administration set on curtailing and containing it. Additionally, Canada must also contend with the national security threat China poses – from intellectual property theft or meddling in Canada’s democratic processes. 

Vina Nadjibulla is back on the show to discuss all of this. She’s the Vice President of Research & Strategy for the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada.

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