Chinese President Xi Jinping and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Friday held talks in South Korea aimed at restoring their long-troubled relationship, calling for “pragmatic and constructive” cooperation between the two nations.

Meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, both leaders described the encounter as a “turning point” in bilateral ties, according to statements from Beijing and Ottawa.

Xi said relations between China and Canada were showing signs of recovery due to efforts from both sides. “We are ready to work with Canada to use this meeting as an opportunity to bring our bilateral relations back on a healthy, stable, and sustainable track,” he said, as reported by Chinese state media.

Carney, who assumed office in March, accepted Xi’s invitation to visit China, though no date was announced.

China-Canada ties plunged in late 2018 after Canadian authorities detained Meng Wanzhou, a senior Huawei executive, under a U.S. extradition request. In response, China arrested two Canadian citizens, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, accusing them of espionage.

Although all three were released in 2021, the relationship remained frosty, strained further by Ottawa’s decision in 2024 to impose a 100% tariff on Chinese electric vehicles and a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum.

China has since offered to remove its import taxes on select Canadian goods if the EV tariff is lifted.

According to the Canadian statement, both leaders instructed their officials to quickly resolve trade disputes and other irritants, particularly involving EVs, canola, and seafood.

Xi also called for expanding “pragmatic cooperation” in the fields of economy, trade, and energy — sectors where both countries have been affected by tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump.