Carney says he will tell Xi that outsiders should not meddle in Canada's affairs

Prime Minister ​Mark Carney said on ‌Tuesday he ​would stress to Chinese President Xi Jinping later this month that China and other ‌countries should not interfere in Canada's internal affairs.

Carney said he would meet Xi on the sidelines of an APEC summit in Shenzhen on ‌November 18-19. In April 2025, Carney said China was one ‌of the largest threats with respect to foreign interference. In 2024, a probe into meddling from abroad heard that Canada's spy agency concluded China had interfered in ⁠the ​2019 and ⁠2021 elections.

"The advantage of these meetings is you can raise issues directly and frankly. ⁠And I will be raising the importance with which we attach to ​the non-interference in our affairs by China and other countries," ⁠Carney told reporters. Beijing has long denied it seeks to interfere in Canadian domestic ⁠affairs.

As ​part of a bid to reduce economic dependence on the United States, Canada is seeking tighter ties with China ⁠after a long spell of chilly bilateral relations. In February, after a visit ⁠by Carney, ⁠China said it would suspend some tariffs on Canadian agricultural products imposed during a trade dispute.