Canada and China are resuming high-level economic and financial talks on Monday after an eight-year break, as the two countries push ahead with a thaw in relations that has already produced a landmark first: China's first yuan-denominated sovereign bond sale in Canada.

The second Canada-China Economic and Financial Strategic Dialogue is being held in Canada on November 9, with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng co-chairing the talks alongside Canada's Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne and International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu.

The visit takes place in Vancouver on November 8-9. The Governor of the Bank of Canada, Tiff Macklem, and the Superintendent of Financial Institutions, Peter Routledge, are also taking part in the discussions, according to the Canadian government.

"This visit follows Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit in May and builds on governments' commitment to advance economic and trade cooperation," the Department of Finance said in a statement announcing the visit.

The dialogue builds on Prime Minister Mark Carney's visit to China in January, which laid the groundwork for an updated strategic partnership and was the first visit to China by a Canadian prime minister since 2017. It also follows Champagne's visit to China in April and Sidhu's trade trip to China this week.

Alongside the talks, China is preparing to issue its first yuan-denominated sovereign bonds in Canada, valued at up to US$600 million. The green bonds are expected to be issued during the week beginning November 9, and are aimed at expanding the international use of China's currency while supporting sustainable development investments.

China has previously issued similar sovereign bonds in London and Hong Kong as part of broader efforts to establish the yuan as a major currency in international financial markets. The move is expected to strengthen financial cooperation and attract more North American investors to yuan-denominated assets.

Canada and China share more than 55 years of diplomatic relations, and their commercial relationship totalled $125.7 billion in two-way merchandise trade in 2025. Canadian merchandise exports to China were $35.0 billion, while imports were $90.6 billion, according to the Canadian government.

China is Canada's second-largest customer globally for agriculture, forest products and seafood products, with sales of approximately $10.2 billion in 2025. More than 1.7 million Canadian residents are of Chinese origin, and the two countries share strong people-to-people ties.

The renewed engagement comes after years of strained relations, and Ottawa has described the talks as part of a broader effort to build a stronger and more resilient Canadian economy through a pragmatic and constructive approach to an important trading partner. The outcomes of the Vancouver dialogue, and the reception of China's debut yuan bond sale in Canada, will be closely watched as the clearest test yet of how far the thaw between the two countries has come.