Canada PM says talks with China’s Xi marked ‘turning point’ in relations

Canadian premier Mark Carney on Saturday called talks with China’s leader Xi Jinping a “turning point” in relations.

China and Canada on Friday held their first formal talks between their leaders since 2017.

“We have now unlocked a path forward to address current issues,” Carney told journalists in the South Korean city of Gyeongju, referring to China.

“Our overall discussion was constructive,” he added.

Carney also announced that he had accepted an invitation from Xi to visit “in the new year.”

“I directed our ministers and officials to work together to find solutions to current challenges and to identify areas for cooperation and growth,” he said.

On the other hand, US President Donald Trump last Saturday said he was hiking tariffs on Canadian goods by an additional 10 percent and terminated all trade talks.

This followed what Trump called a “fake” anti-tariff ad campaign that featured the late ex-president Ronald Reagan.

Carney said Saturday he had apologized to Trump for that ad.

“I did apologize to the president. The president was offended,” he said.