Canadian and Chinese militaries 're-opening dialogue' amid tense U.S. relationships
Canada has quietly reopened a military dialogue with Beijing after an eight-year freeze. China announced the meeting first, while Ottawa offered no public notice, raising questions about what was discussed and why Canadians weren’t told.
Article by Rebel News staff
On Sept. 4, Canada’s Department of National Defence (DND) sat down with Chinese defence officials in Ottawa for the first time in eight years. Canadians learned about the meeting from China’s Ministry of National Defence, which posted a notice on Sept. 5 describing the “5th China-Canada Defence Coordination Dialogue” and saying both sides were willing to “strengthen practical exchanges and cooperation between the two militaries.”
The dialogue was created in 2013 and held four times through April 2018. It froze after December 2018, when Canada arrested Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou and China detained Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. That military channel has now reopened.
The Canadian government did not announce the meeting. After the Globe and Mail asked about Beijing’s notice, a DND spokesperson confirmed on Sept. 8 that a “working-level dialogue” had taken place. A Canadian official said fewer than 10 Canadian staff attended, from the Canadian Armed Forces, National Defence and Global Affairs, with ranks ranging from major-general to colonel. Who led the Chinese delegation, what was discussed and what was agreed remain undisclosed.
Pierre Poilievre said Canadians “had to learn about [this] from Chinese media.” Ottawa told the Canadian Press that it does not publicize working-level meetings, even though the government routinely publishes readouts of other diplomatic and defence engagements.
Then there is what happened just days earlier in Victoria.
From Aug. 31 to Sept. 2, Canada co-hosted the Indo-Pacific Chiefs of Defence Conference with U.S. Pacific Command. China sent Gen. Yang Zhibin, commander of the People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command, which faces Taiwan. Yang met U.S. Adm. Samuel Paparo, while China also reported meetings with representatives from France and Singapore.
There is no public indication that Canada’s chief of the defence staff, Gen. Jennie Carignan, held a bilateral meeting with Yang. Before the conference, Carignan said she had no bilateral with China scheduled, although that “could change.” Nobody has publicly established that Yang was involved in the Ottawa meeting two days later.
What is clear is that Canada hosted a senior PLA commander in Victoria the same week it quietly reopened a military dialogue with Beijing, and neither development was initially announced by Ottawa.
The military dialogue also follows months of improving Canada-China relations. In April, Chinese Ambassador Wang Di spoke about the developing “strategic partnership.” In May, Canada sent HMCS Charlottetown through the Taiwan Strait, while Foreign Minister Wang Yi later visited Ottawa. In July, China’s defence attaché said improving ties had created “favourable conditions” for closer military communication.
There is a longer history here. Access-to-information records published as the China Files in 2020 documented Canadian Armed Forces cooperation with the PLA, including a planned winter-survival course at CFB Petawawa that the Pentagon urged Canada to cancel. After Kovrig and Spavor were detained, the forces cancelled the course.
Mark Carney has described his renewed relationship with China as having “guardrails,” including areas “where we will not, which includes on defence.”
Now Canada’s military has reopened a defence dialogue with the PLA, and Canadians first learned about it from Beijing.
If there is nothing to hide, why did the country have to hear it from Beijing?
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Ezra Levant
Rebel Commander
Ezra Levant is the founder and owner of Rebel News and the host of The Ezra Levant Show. He is the author of multiple best-selling books, including Ethical Oil, The Libranos, China Virus, and most recently, Trudeau's Secret Plan.
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Bernhard Jatzeck commented 2026-09-16 17:42:55 -0400 FlagI seem to recall that some goofball by the name of Pierre Trudeau whined about Canada being ruled by a “foreign power” simply because the British North America Act was the legislation by which the government functioned. About 45 years ago, that was “repariated” and we got stuck with our constitution.
Now Carney wants to reverse all that.
