Mark Carney to raise China interference with Xi Jinping

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Tuesday he will raise concerns about Chinese interference when he meets Chinese President Xi Jinping at the November 18-19 APEC summit.

Carney said he would discuss “many things” with Xi, including efforts to broaden bilateral trade. He said such meetings allowed leaders to raise issues directly and frankly, and that he would stress the importance Canada attaches to “non-interference in our affairs by China and other countries”.

A 2025 Canadian public inquiry into allegations of election meddling identified China as “the most active perpetrator of foreign interference targeting Canada's democratic institutions”. Its final report concluded that China “views Canada as a high-priority target” and meddled in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections.

China has consistently denied allegations that it interferes in other countries' internal affairs.

Canada's federal police have also investigated reports that China operates illegal police stations on Canadian soil to harass or intimidate Chinese expatriates.

Carney visited China in January as part of an effort to restore ties that deteriorated under former prime minister Justin Trudeau. He has said Canada needs to diversify its foreign trade to reduce dependence on the United States, with China and India among his targets.