Carney to raise foreign interference with Xi at APEC

Prime Minister Mark Carney said Tuesday he will raise concerns about foreign interference in Canada when he meets Chinese President Xi Jinping next week, and that his government will soon announce a new ambassador to China.

Carney and Xi are expected to meet in person at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen, China, which runs Nov. 18 and 19. Carney spoke to reporters in Montreal, where he was promoting funding for culture and recreation in the federal budget.

“The advantage of these meetings is you can raise issues directly and frankly,” Carney said. He said he will stress the importance Canada attaches to non-interference in its affairs by China and other countries, and will also discuss global security and the economic partnership between the two countries, which he described as deepening but with clear guardrails.

The prime minister’s trip also includes the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in the Philippines, Nov. 16 to 18. Carney said he and U.S. President Donald Trump are expected to talk at one of the two summits, and that he spoke briefly with Trump over the weekend, days after Republicans lost badly in the U.S. midterm elections. Carney said “more intense” trade talks with Washington have restarted. Our guide to the tariffs now in effect tracks what Canadians are paying.

Why the issue matters in Canada: a public inquiry concluded in January 2025 that China was the top perpetrator of foreign interference targeting Canadian democratic institutions and that Beijing tried to meddle in some elections. Carney last met Xi in Beijing in January, and the two also spoke at last year’s APEC summit, the first formal meeting between the countries’ leaders since 2017. Carney said at the time that Beijing did not grasp how seriously Canadians take the issue.

A recent report by the Spain-based group Safeguard Defenders said China has expanded its network of illegal police stations around the world, including in Canada, to monitor and control diaspora communities. Carney’s government has been rebuilding the relationship with China and pursuing more trade, a shift that followed the first national security strategy in 20 years.

The ambassador’s post has been vacant since the spring. “It’s a little longer than we would have liked. We wanted to get the right person and we have found that right person,” Carney said, without naming the choice.

China has confirmed it is discussing a possible meeting between Xi, Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin at APEC, which we reported when Trump said he was open to a three-way meeting. Earlier this month, China expelled a record 33 members from its Communist Party. Carney’s Montreal appearance also came the same day he criticized Quebec’s premier over letters to U.S. officials.

The report was based on a Canadian Press story first published Nov. 10, 2026.

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