OTTAWA, Ont. - International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu will be in China from November 3 to 6, 2026, to advance Canada’s work to diversify trade partnerships, create jobs and support Canadian businesses abroad, Global Affairs Canada announced November 2.
In Beijing, Sidhu will co-lead the Joint Economic and Trade Commission meeting with China’s Minister of Commerce, Wang Wentao. Held at the ministerial level for the first time, the commission gives Canada and China a forum to discuss bilateral trade issues, advance areas of mutual economic interest and deepen cooperation that supports a stable and predictable trading relationship, the release says.
In Shanghai, Sidhu will meet government officials, investors and businesses, including at the China International Import Expo, one of the world’s largest trade and investment events, where Canada is the Guest Country of Honour. While there, he will highlight Canada’s strengths and explore opportunities to expand commercial cooperation in priority sectors, including agri-food and agriculture, energy, clean technology and consumer products.
“In January, I joined the Prime Minister as we unlocked a new trade arrangement with China, Canada’s second-largest single-country trading partner, unlocking $7 billion of new opportunities for Canadian businesses. In the first half of this year, our merchandise exports to China grew by 31.4% to $21.5 billion. Now, at the Joint Economic and Trade Commission and the China International Import Expo this week, I’ll build on that progress towards a stable and predictable trading relationship, as we work to grow our exports to China by 50% by 2030,” Sidhu said.
The visit builds on Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to Beijing in January 2026. For Surrey readers, the stakes are practical: the Lower Mainland is one of Canada’s main gateways to Pacific trade, and Surrey businesses in food processing, manufacturing and logistics feel the effects of export growth, or export disruption, sooner than most. A more predictable trading relationship with Canada’s second-largest single-country trading partner matters to jobs here, even when the meetings happen half a world away.
What to watch this week is whether the Beijing commission and the Shanghai expo produce concrete next steps for Canadian exporters, beyond the headline goal of growing exports to China by 50 per cent by 2030. The release announces the visit and its agenda; it does not announce a new trade deal.
(Source: Global Affairs Canada news release, November 2, 2026)
