Carney will travel to China next week with focus on trade

Prime Minister Mark Carney will travel to China next week with the goal of expanding new export markets, marking his first visit to the country.

Carney will leave for China on Jan. 13, arrive on Wednesday and spend most of the week there before leaving on Jan. 17, his office said, citing a focus on “engagement on trade, energy, agriculture, and international security.”

Last year, Carney vowed to double non-U.S. exports over the next decade while boosting domestic investment and infrastructure.

Bilateral trade between Canada and China stood at $64.2 billion as of last year, according to the Canada China Business Council, with Canadian exports to China valued at $16 billion.

In comparison, the volume of trade between Canada and the United States stands at $1.3 trillion, with $3.6 billion in goods and services crossing the Canada-U.S. border every day.

This comes as Canada is gearing up for a review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico (USMCA) free trade agreement later this year.

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U.S. President Donald Trump has said the United States may either let the deal expire next year or negotiate a new deal.

The deal was signed during Trump’s first term in office and in 2020, after signing the deal, he praised the trade agreement.

“It’s the best agreement we’ve ever made,” Trump said at the time.