China’s foreign minister to visit Canada next week amid improving bilateral ties

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi is scheduled to visit Canada from May 28 to 30 in what officials describe as a step toward strengthening diplomatic and economic ties between the two countries.

The visit will mark the first trip to Canada by a Chinese foreign minister in nearly a decade.

Speaking at a press conference in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said relations between China and Canada have recently improved and that both countries are working toward what he described as a “new type of strategic partnership.”

According to the Chinese foreign ministry, Beijing hopes the visit will help increase political trust, address areas of disagreement and return bilateral relations to what officials called a “stable and constructive path.”

The visit follows Prime Minister Mark Carney’s trip to China in January, during which Canada and China reached a trade agreement involving reduced tariffs on electric vehicles and Canadian canola products.

The diplomatic outreach also comes amid broader international developments, including reports that Chinese President Xi Jinping could visit the United States later this fall following recent high-level U.S.–China engagements.