This report assesses merchandise trade between Canada and China during the first half of 2026. The period marked a clear divergence in bilateral flows: Canadian exports to China rose sharply, while imports from China declined. Beneath that aggregate shift, export...
Using data from Statistics Canada, this report provides an overview of merchandise trade between Canada and China in the first quarter of 2026 at the aggregate, sectoral, and provincial levels. While bilateral trade total was little changed year-over-year, the data...
The following Executive Insight has been prepared by the research team at the Canada China Business Council (CCBC). It examines how Canada–China commercial engagement is entering a more pragmatic and opportunity-oriented phase, shaped by renewed bilateral economic...
This report provides a detailed assessment of Canada’s bilateral merchandise trade with China for 2025 — a year defined by structural shifts in export composition from agriculture toward energy and minerals, sharply bifurcated import outcomes as tariff-targeted goods contracted while industrial inputs proved resilient, and persistent geographic concentration and uneven regional distribution. Situating bilateral flows within Canada’s broader trade performance and its evolving relationships with major partners, our analysis highlights both sector-specific vulnerabilities and emerging growth pathways.
China’s newly approved 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) signals a decisive focus on “high-quality development” anchored in self-reliance, a stronger domestic market, and targeted opening-up with efforts towards boosting value addition, demand-driven consumption, and food security. For Canadian businesses, the FYP’s objectives create opportunities in agrifood, retail, and the energy transition, provided strategies align with Beijing’s new priorities.
Since CCBC’s last survey in 2023, the global business environment has become increasingly complex as rising protectionism, supply chain diversification, and geopolitical uncertainty have required greater pragmatism from business and political leaders alike.
Effective March 1, Beijing announced that a raft of previously-imposed tariffs on Canadian goods are reduced or suspended. The shift comes in tandem with Ottawa’s removal of 100% tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. With the changes in places, Canadian exporters can expect greater market access and export competitiveness, with Chinese demand set to influence production planning and long-term contracts in the agrifood sector.
Canada–China bilateral trade fell sharply in Q3 2025 to C$28.8 billion, down 10.5% from Q2 and 5.44% lower than a year earlier, driven mainly by a steep drop in Canadian imports from China. Imports declined 13.7% quarter-over-quarter and 6.9% year-over-year, reaching C$21 billion, while exports to China were broadly stable, edging down just 0.2% from Q2 and remaining in line with Q3 2024 at C$7.8 billion. This divergence suggests a weaker Canadian demand for Chinese goods, while Chinese demand for Canadian goods remains resilient.
In the first half of 2025, China sustained its position as one of Canada’s top trading partners. Bilateral trade reached CAD 64.2 billion, reflecting a robust 9% year-over-year increase. However, quarterly trends signaled a loss of momentum, with growth decelerating from 7% in the first quarter to 2% in the second. The slowdown was largely driven by weaker Canadian exports to China, reflecting the impact of Chinese counter tariffs on Canadian agricultural goods.
