As tensions run high with Beijing and the Canadian government prepares to launch a public inquiry into Chinese interference in Canadian affairs, Federal Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault travels to China on a diplomatic mission.

This is the first visit by a Canadian minister to China since the outbreak of the Meng Wanzhou and Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor cases.

It is worth noting that in December 2018, China detained Canadians Kovrig and Spavor in response to the arrest of Huawei's Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou on December 1 in Vancouver at the request of U.S. authorities, who accused her of committing fraud to circumvent U.S. sanctions imposed on Iran.

Guilbeault is set to participate in the "China Council" meeting in Beijing from August 28 to 30. The council is an organization established by China and Canada together in the 1990s to help the Chinese government develop environmental policies.

As in interviews in Canada, the Environment Minister in Justin Trudeau's Liberal government did not hesitate to speak about a promising starting point for rebuilding relations between Ottawa and Beijing.

"I think it’s worth the effort to go there, to move forward in this cooperation on climate and biodiversity, and perhaps also start to rebuild bridges with China on a diplomatic level,” said Guilbeault.

The Canadian Minister of Environment and Climate Change received an invitation to visit China from his Chinese counterpart Huang Runqiu, with whom he established relations during the joint organization of the fifteenth Conference of the Parties (COP15), which aimed to renew the United Nations Biodiversity Agreement and was held in Canada in December 2022.

This conference was originally supposed to be held in China, but it was ultimately held in Montreal due to strict health measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic imposed by the authorities in Beijing.

Nonetheless, the Canadian minister is undertaking this climate-related mission amid strong tensions between his country and China.

Also, despite allegations of Chinese interference in Canadian election campaigns, and the intimidation and misinformation campaigns launched by Beijing against Canadian elected officials, and the reciprocal expulsion of diplomats, Minister Guilbeault emphasizes that the scale of the global climate crisis requires working with China, which is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world.