OTTAWA — Canadians are warming to China and India as US President Donald Trump's tariffs push Ottawa to diversify its trade beyond the United States, a new Angus Reid Institute survey released on Tuesday, November 10, finds — published the week Prime Minister Mark Carney begins a globe-circling trip that ends at the APEC leaders' meeting in Shenzhen, China.

Source: Angus Reid Institute, Nov 10 2026

The share of Canadians with a favourable view of China has more than doubled in two years, from 15 per cent in November 2024 to 38 per cent now, the institute said, although a majority of 53 per cent still view China unfavourably. Views of India have also improved: 36 per cent now view India favourably, up 10 points from 2024. Both countries are now viewed more favourably than the United States itself, which scores 25 per cent.

Source: Angus Reid Institute, Nov 10 2026

Trade now beats human rights in how Canadians rank both relationships

The shift is sharpest on priorities. In 2021, after the Meng Wanzhou and 'two Michaels' dispute, Canadians said by three to one that human rights and the rule of law should lead the China relationship (77 per cent) over trade (23 per cent); now 57 per cent put trade and investment first. India shows the same flip: in 2024, 38 per cent put trade first and 62 per cent put human rights and the rule of law first; now 56 per cent put trade and investment ahead, as Carney's Liberals repair ties that were severed after his predecessor's allegations about India's involvement in the killing of a Canadian Sikh leader.

Source: Angus Reid Institute, Nov 10 2026

Support for more trade is rising but remains softer than the headlines suggest: 41 per cent say they are more supportive of trade with China and 36 per cent more supportive of trade with India in response to US-Canada tensions, while 58 per cent are more supportive of trade with Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, and 49 per cent with Southeast Asia. Asked where Canada should build closer trade ties, the European Union leads at 58 per cent, ahead of Mexico (24 per cent), the United Kingdom (22 per cent) and the US (20 per cent); China draws 14 per cent and India just 5 per cent.

Source: Angus Reid Institute, Nov 10 2026

Carney's trip: Ireland, the Philippines, Cambodia, then APEC in Shenzhen

Carney will travel to Ireland, the Philippines, Cambodia and China from November 11 to 19, his office announced on November 4, attending four summits including the European Political Community meeting in Dublin and the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Shenzhen — his second visit to China in 2026, after a January trip that ended more than eight years without a Canadian prime minister visiting China. The Prime Minister's Office said the new Canada-China strategic partnership is unlocking more than $7 billion in export markets (yaani more than 700 crore dollars), and that China is Canada's second-largest single-country merchandise trading partner, with two-way trade of $125.7 billion in 2025 (yaani about 12,570 crore dollars).

Source: Prime Minister of Canada, Nov 4 2026

The public shift follows concrete trade steps: Canada and China last week extended a deal lowering Beijing's agricultural tariffs through the end of 2028 — covering canola meal, peas, lobster and crab — while Canada extended tariff-remission measures for some Chinese steel and aluminium products, Bloomberg reported. Ottawa is also discussing how to lift Canadian exports to China by 50 per cent.

Source: Bloomberg via Farm Progress, Nov 5 2026

Carney's Asia push builds on his earlier trade outreach to Washington and Beijing. Read: Carney on trade-deal talks in the coming weeks