Canada PM says talks with Xi marked 'turning point' in relations

Canadian premier Mark Carney on Saturday called talks with China's leader Xi Jinping a "turning point" in relations, adding he had raised tricky topics like foreign interference with Beijing.

Canada's relations with China have been among the worst of any Western nation but both are at the sharp end of Donald Trump's tariff onslaught, even after Xi and the US leader's deal Thursday to dial back tensions.

China and Canada on Friday held their first formal talks between their leaders since 2017 on Friday.

"We have now unlocked a path forward to address current issues," Carney told journalists in the South Korean city of Gyeongju, referring to China.

"Our overall discussion was constructive," he added.

Carney said Saturday he had accepted an invitation from Xi to visit "in the new year".

"I directed our ministers and officials to work together to find solutions to current challenges and to identify areas for cooperation and growth," he said.

The US president last Saturday said he was hiking tariffs on Canadian goods by an additional 10 percent and terminated all trade talks.

This followed what Trump called a "fake" anti-tariff ad campaign that featured the late ex-president Ronald Reagan.

Carney said Saturday he had apologised to Trump for that ad.

"I did apologise to the president. The president was offended," he said.

AFP