In a rare conciliatory phone call on 11 November, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Canadian counterpart Anita Anand that China is “ready to resume exchanges and cooperation across all fields.” The dialogue follows last week’s handshake between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Mark Carney at the APEC summit in Seoul—the first leader-level engagement since bilateral relations soured over the Meng Wanzhou affair and election-interference allegations.
Although neither side laid out concrete measures, Canadian diplomats say early priorities include restarting the suspended Canada–China High-Level Economic and Financial Dialogue and reopening visa-application centres that were operating at reduced capacity. Tourism operators note that Chinese arrivals to Canada remain 70 % below 2019 levels; a renewed Approved Destination Status agreement could unlock pent-up demand ahead of the 2026 ski season.
![Beijing and Ottawa pledge to ‘resume exchanges’ after APEC thaw]()
For Canadian multinationals, a pragmatic reset could expedite executive travel and revive stalled work-permit applications for intra-company transferees from mainland headquarters. Universities are watching closely as Chinese enrolments have fallen for three consecutive years; a friendlier climate may soften the blow from Ottawa’s new student cap.
Analysts caution that substantive progress hinges on resolving outstanding consular cases and Beijing’s opaque exit-permit regime. Still, the rhetorical shift offers a potential win for corporate mobility teams that have grappled with unpredictable visa processing and intermittent flight connectivity between the two countries.
Although neither side laid out concrete measures, Canadian diplomats say early priorities include restarting the suspended Canada–China High-Level Economic and Financial Dialogue and reopening visa-application centres that were operating at reduced capacity. Tourism operators note that Chinese arrivals to Canada remain 70 % below 2019 levels; a renewed Approved Destination Status agreement could unlock pent-up demand ahead of the 2026 ski season.
For Canadian multinationals, a pragmatic reset could expedite executive travel and revive stalled work-permit applications for intra-company transferees from mainland headquarters. Universities are watching closely as Chinese enrolments have fallen for three consecutive years; a friendlier climate may soften the blow from Ottawa’s new student cap.
Analysts caution that substantive progress hinges on resolving outstanding consular cases and Beijing’s opaque exit-permit regime. Still, the rhetorical shift offers a potential win for corporate mobility teams that have grappled with unpredictable visa processing and intermittent flight connectivity between the two countries.
