Carney and Trump to share table at South Korean presidential dinner amid trade tensions

Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump are expected to attend a formal dinner hosted by South Korean President Lee Jae-Myung today, marking the first public appearance of the two leaders together since trade negotiations between Ottawa and Washington were abruptly halted last week.

The dinner takes place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Seoul, where seven world leaders have been invited by the South Korean president. Diplomatic observers say the event may test whether tensions between Canada and the United States continue to spill into multilateral discussions.

Trump announced on his Truth Social platform last Thursday that he was “terminating” trade talks with Canada. He later threatened to impose an additional 10 per cent tariff on Canadian goods after an Ontario-funded anti-tariff advertisement aired in the United States.

The U.S. president appeared to reference the diplomatic standoff again overnight, posting that his visit to South Korea was “not to see Canada.” The Prime Minister’s Office has not commented on whether any bilateral contact between Carney and Trump is expected during the summit.