By XAMXAM

BEIJING — The symbolism was unmistakable. Beneath the soaring ceilings of the Great Hall of the People, Mark Carney clasped hands with Li Qiang, China’s second most powerful official, as ministers from both countries signed a series of agreements spanning energy, agriculture, public safety, and cultural exchange. Chinese state television carried the images live. Red carpets, flowers, and formal honors framed every movement.

It was Canada’s first prime ministerial visit to China in eight years. And it was anything but routine.

The welcome came at a moment of extraordinary tension in North America. In Washington, Donald Trump has revived tariff threats against Canadian goods, referred to Canada as the “51st state,” and openly questioned the value of economic integration with its closest ally. In Beijing, by contrast, Canada was treated as a sovereign partner whose independence merited public respect.

China’s message was not subtle.

From the moment Carney’s plane touched down in the Chinese capital, the choreography signaled importance. A red carpet stretched across the tarmac. An 11-year-old girl presented flowers. Senior officials lined up for a formal greeting. Such treatment is reserved for visits Beijing wants noticed — by its own public and by foreign capitals.

Inside the Great Hall, Li Qiang described the visit as a “turning point” and a “new starting point” in Canada–China relations. He spoke of removing obstacles, rebuilding trust, and expanding cooperation in clean energy, advanced manufacturing, agriculture, and digital technology. Carney responded by praising Xi Jinping’s leadership and repeatedly referring to a “strategic partnership” between the two countries.

Language matters in Beijing. “Turning point” is not diplomatic filler. It signals an intentional shift.

At the center of that shift were energy agreements that go well beyond symbolism. One memorandum recognized Canada as an “important potential partner” in supplying oil, liquefied natural gas, and liquefied petroleum gas to China — explicitly noting the reliability and responsibility of Canadian production. Another established ministerial-level dialogue channels that had been dormant for nearly a decade.

The timing is critical. Until recently, nearly all Canadian oil exports flowed south to the United States. The expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline in 2024 changed that reality, giving Canada direct access to Pacific markets. Since then, Canadian crude shipments to China have risen steadily, and Canadian LNG has begun reaching Asian buyers.

For Beijing, diversifying energy supply is a strategic priority. Chinese leaders have watched Russia weaponize gas exports to Europe, Middle Eastern instability threaten shipping routes, and American administrations — Trump’s included — use trade and energy as instruments of political pressure. Canada, with vast reserves, political stability, and lower-carbon production, fits China’s search for dependable suppliers.

For Ottawa, the implications are just as significant.

Carney’s government has been under mounting pressure to reduce Canada’s vulnerability to U.S. political volatility. Trump’s tariffs, threats, and rhetoric have made reliance on a single market feel increasingly risky. The Beijing visit offered a visible alternative: access to the world’s second-largest economy, investment capital, and long-term demand for Canadian resources.

Beyond energy, the scope of the reset was broad. Agreements signed Thursday covered modern wood construction, food safety and plant health, transnational crime, and tourism and cultural exchange. Together, they form a framework for engagement that touches security, trade, environment, and people-to-people ties — the architecture of a long-term relationship rather than a transactional bargain.

Chinese officials reinforced the point. Foreign Minister Wang Yi called the visit a “turning point” after years of strained ties. Senior legislators told Carney that Xi would provide “strategic guidance” for the relationship during their meeting the following day. In China’s political culture, such sequencing — premier one day, president the next — signals seriousness.

The contrast with Washington could not be sharper. While Trump has sought to extract concessions from Canada through pressure, Beijing offered cooperation and recognition. While Washington questioned Canada’s autonomy, China publicly affirmed it.

That does not mean Ottawa is choosing China over the United States. Canadian officials have been careful to stress otherwise. The United States remains Canada’s closest ally, largest trading partner, and essential security partner. But dependence is no longer being treated as destiny.

What Canada is pursuing, instead, is optionality.

A country with options negotiates differently. It can absorb pressure without capitulating. It can diversify markets, attract investment, and hedge against political shocks. The red carpet in Beijing was not simply about optics; it was about demonstrating that those options exist — and that others are willing to engage.

Trump may not have anticipated this outcome. His assumption has long been that Canada, lacking alternatives, would ultimately bend. The Beijing reception suggested the opposite: that American pressure has accelerated Canada’s search for room to maneuver and made engagement with China politically viable in ways that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.

Whether the reset delivers all that both sides hope remains to be seen. Trade disputes persist, and strategic mistrust has not vanished. But the signal sent this week was clear.

As Carney stood beside Li Qiang under the chandeliers of the Great Hall, Canada was not being treated as a subordinate or an afterthought. It was being courted. And in global politics, that kind of welcome speaks volumes — especially when delivered as Washington looks on from the sidelines.