Carney to raise issue of foreign interference with Chinese President Xi next week

Prime Minister Mark Carney said Tuesday he will raise concerns about foreign interference in Canada when he meets next week with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Carney and Xi are expected to meet in person at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen, China.

“The advantage of these meetings is you can raise issues directly and frankly," Carney told a press conference in Montreal.

Carney said he would bring up with Xi the importance Canada attaches "to the non-interference in our affairs by China and other countries.”

The prime minister said he also will discuss with Xi the global security climate and the economic partnership between the two countries. He said that partnership "is something that is deepening but has clear guardrails in terms of the areas in which we're involved.”

Carney last met with Xi in January. The two leaders also spoke at last year’s APEC summit — the first formal meeting between the leaders of Canada and China since 2017.

Carney said at the time he and Xi discussed foreign interference but Beijing didn't understand how seriously Canadians take the issue.

Carney's government has been rebuilding Canada's relationship with China and is pursuing increased trade between the two nations. 

In January 2025, a public inquiry identified China as the top perpetrator of foreign interference targeting Canadian democratic institutions, and concluded Beijing tried to meddle in some Canadian elections.

A recent report by the organization Safeguard Defenders said China has expanded the network of illegal police stations it operates around the world, including in Canada. The Spain-based non-governmental organization said the stations are used by China to monitor the diaspora in a bid to control them.

Carney also told reporters in Montreal that his government has chosen a new ambassador to China and will announce the appointment soon. The post has been vacant since the spring.

"It's a little longer than we would have liked. We wanted to get the right person and we have found that right person," he said.

U.S. President Donald Trump will also be at the summit. Carney said he and Trump are expected to have a conversation at APEC or at the ASEAN summit in the Philippines, which takes place a few days earlier.

"I have an ability to engage with the president in multiple occasions and on a running basis, so yes, it's good to sit down but it's not absolutely necessary," Carney said.

Carney said he spoke briefly with Trump over the weekend.

That conversation came a few days after the U.S. midterm elections where Trump's Republicans lost badly in a vote widely believed to be a referendum on many of his policies, including the tariffs on Canada.

Trade talks between Canada and the U.S. collapsed in August. In the days since the U.S. midterm elections gave the Democrats firm control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, several party officials have indicated repealing Trump's tariffs on Canadian products is a priority.

Carney told reporters last week that "more intense" trade negotiations with the United States have restarted.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, summit will take place in the Philippines from Nov. 16 to 18. The APEC summit will bring leaders from across Asia, South America and the South Pacific together in Shenzhen, China from Nov. 18 to 19.

China has confirmed that it is discussing a possible meeting between Xi, Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which would take place at the APEC summit.

Carney was in Montreal Tuesday to tout the $4 billion in funding for culture and recreation outlined in last week’s federal budget. It includes new tax credits, and $600 million in annual funding for Canadian content.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 10, 2026.

— With files from The Associated Press and Catherine Morrison

By Anja Karadeglija | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.