Canada and China Resume Military Talks After More Than Eight Years

Canadian and Chinese military officials have held their first defence coordination talks in more than eight years, with the meeting taking place privately in Ottawa.

China’s Defence Ministry confirmed that the meeting was held on September 4, saying the talks were aimed at restoring military-level communication between the two countries. The ministry described the discussions as a clear dialogue intended to improve mutual understanding and build trust between the two militaries.

Notably, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government did not issue any public statement about the meeting, while Beijing publicly confirmed the talks.

Military dialogue between Canada and China was suspended in 2018 after Beijing detained two Canadians, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, on espionage allegations.

The resumption of the defence talks is being viewed as a possible sign of improving relations between Ottawa and Beijing, particularly as Canada continues to navigate trade tensions with the United States.

Canada held four defence coordination dialogues with China between 2013 and 2018, with the most recent meeting taking place in April 2018.