By Paul Vieira

OTTAWA-Canada and China have agreed to restore regular communications between the two countries following years of testy relations following Ottawa's role in the arrest of a senior Huawei Technologies executive last decade.

The call between Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Chinese Premier Li Qiang marks a reset in ties between the two countries, but also emerges as both Ottawa and Beijing face economic repercussions from abrupt changes in U.S. trade policy under President Donald Trump. Both China and Canada are in talks with Washington to ease, or have removed, hefty tariffs on their U.S.-bound exports.

Carney and Li "exchanged views on bilateral relations, including the importance of engagement, and agreed to regularize channels of communication between Canada and China," according to a readout of the call issued late Thursday by Canada's Prime Minister's Office.

According to the readout, Carney pressed Li about dropping a series of tariffs on Canadian agrifood and seafood products, which Beijing imposed in March in response to Canada's 100% tariffs on China-made electric vehicles - matching a similar levy implemented by the former Biden administration.

A spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Ottawa did not respond to a request for comment regarding Canada's summary of the phone call.

Carney faced some pressure this week in a meeting with Canada's provincial premiers to either drop or ease the tariffs on Chinese vehicles to avoid tariffs of 100% on China-bound canola oil and canola meal, and a 25% duty on certain pork, fish and seafood products.

"That is precisely what this will take to not only secure out market access for products like canola oil and canola meal in the long term, but to secure a more broad trading relationship with China," said Scott Moe, the Saskatchewan Premier.

Under Carney's predecessor, Justin Trudeau, relations between Beijing and Ottawa turned testy since 2018 after Canada--at Washington's behest--arrested Huawei senior executive Meng Wanzhou, an event followed by the imprisonment of two Canadians in China for nearly four years.

Write to Paul Vieira at paul.vieira@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

June 06, 2025 08:14 ET (12:14 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.