Canada–China relations

Diplomatic relations between Canada and the Qing dynasty in China officially date back to January 9, 1909, as it had been represented by the British ambassador. By 1942, Canada sent an ambassador to the Republic of China (ROC). The Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s victory in the Chinese Civil War and subsequent proclamation of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949 did not break the relations with the Republic of China until 1970, when Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau became one of the first Western leaders to recognize the PRC. In 2024, China was Canada's second largest export and import partner after the United States.

Relations between the Canadian and Chinese governments had deteriorated significantly after the detention of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou by Canada in 2018 and the subsequent detention of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig by China. Canada has criticized the Chinese government over issues such as the persecution of Uyghurs in China, the crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong, allegedly unfair trade practices, and espionage and intimidation activities in Canada. In 2022, Canada referred to China as "disruptive" in its official Indo-Pacific strategy document. The CCP and Chinese government, in turn, has seen Canada's position as reflective of growing anti-China sentiment and anxiety regarding the country's economic and military development. However, relations between Canada and China improved under Prime Minister Mark Carney, subsequent to the deterioration of Canada–United States relations.