Will Xi Jinping Visit Canada? From Huawei's Meng Wanzhou Case to Carney's Leadership, Avoiding Solo US Trip to Prevent 'Over-Respecting America'?

Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to visit the United States on September 24, with analysts suggesting he may also visit Canada during the trip. One reason cited is to avoid the perception of 'over-respecting America' by visiting the US alone. Hong Kong's Ming Pao reported today that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met in Manila yesterday, with Xinhua stating both sides agreed to 'prepare for the next stage of high-level exchanges.' Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, during his visit to China in January, invited President Xi to visit Canada. On the previous day, Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand, expressing China's willingness to 'prepare for the next stage of high-level exchanges and enhance political mutual trust' with Canada. The fact that Wang Yi used the same phrase with both Rubio and Anand has led to speculation that Beijing is also preparing for a visit by President Xi to Canada. Given that the US and Canada are neighboring countries, it is logical for Xi to visit both, thereby avoiding the appearance of excessive deference to the US. If confirmed, this would mark Xi Jinping's first visit to Canada since taking office and the first visit by a Chinese head of state in 16 years. Sino-Canadian relations were originally stable, but deteriorated sharply in December 2018 when Canada detained Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou at the request of the United States. Although Meng was released in 2021, political trust between the two nations has not been restored, and economic and trade disputes have continued. However, since Mark Carney became Prime Minister of Canada last spring, Sino-Canadian relations have begun to improve.