Eby to travel to China this weekend to pitch B.C. energy, goods and tourism

Premier David Eby will take off this weekend on a trade mission to China as the province tries to expand trade beyond the U.S.

The trip, from June 27 to July 3, includes stops in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou for meetings with government and business leaders. 

Eby said in a statement on Tuesday that the province is focused on diversifying its trade relationships as Canada faces U.S. tariffs and higher gas prices linked to the conflict involving Iran.

“China is the world’s second-largest economy and is our second-largest export market for B.C. goods and services. Encouraging tourism while selling more B.C. wood, agricultural products and energy will mean more money for families and more money to pay for the services British Columbians deserve,” he said. 

The province said B.C. exported nearly $11 billion worth of goods to China in 2025, making up almost 20 per cent of B.C.’s commodity exports.

It will be the fourth B.C. trade mission to Asia over the past 12 months, with recent trips by Eby and other officials to Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and India. 

The last time a B.C. premier visited China was a 2018 trade mission by then-premier John Horgan.

The upcoming trip is another sign that relations between Canada and China are warming after several years of tensions.

The arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou at Vancouver International Airport in December 2018, and the subsequent detention in China of Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, strained relations between the two countries.

Trade tensions between Canada and China escalated in 2024 and 2025 after Canada imposed tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, steel and aluminum. China responded with tariffs on a range of Canadian agricultural products.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has also taken steps to repair the relationship with Beijing. Carney visited China early this year and inked trade deals on electric vehicles, canola, beef and other goods.