Prime Minister Mark Carney, speaking in Beijing on Friday after reaching an initial deal with China across several sectors, said Canada stands up for human rights and democracy but added that Canada engages in what he called 'value-based realism' and takes the 'world as it is, not as we wish it to be.'

China responded by imposing duties of 100% on Canadian canola oil and meal and 25% on pork and seafood. It added a 75.8% tariff on canola seeds last August. Collectively, the import taxes effectively closed the Chinese market to Canadian canola exports, an industry group said.

Prime Minister Mark Carney says he has reached a deal with China to allow tens of thousands of Chinese electric vehicles into the country in exchange for lower canola duties.

Carney says Canada's relationship with China has become "more predictable" than that with the US, as his country searches for trade certainty.

Xi Jinping told visiting Prime Minister Mark Carney that he is willing to continue working to improve ties, noting that talks have been underway on restoring and restarting cooperation since the two held an initial meeting in October on the sidelines of a regional economic conference in South Korea.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney hailed a new “strategic partnership” with China during a meeting with leader Xi Jinping Friday, as the US ally took steps to reset ties with Beijing in the face of historic friction with Donald Trump.