Canadian and Chinese national flags hang from a lamp post in front of the giant portrait of former Chinese Chairman Mao Zedong at Beijing's Tiananmen Square December 2, 2009.DAVID GRAY/Reuters
The Liberal government is moving toward a policy of constant engagement with China, working on a deal guaranteeing annual meetings for Canada's Prime Minister and Finance Minister with their Chinese counterparts, sources said.
Still, Canadian officials told The Globe and Mail there will be "no agreement or major movement" on a free-trade deal with China during Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's visit next week.
After a cabinet retreat on Monday, Mr. Trudeau said his immediate goal is to set Canada-China relations "on the right path for the coming years." Echoing the views of Chinese officials, Mr. Trudeau said that relations with China frequently went "from hot to cold" under the previous Conservative government.
Mr. Trudeau will travel with his wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, and their daughter, Ella-Grace, on the eight-day visit that will aim in part to promote the rights of women and children in China.
Sources added Mr. Trudeau's schedule will be heavy on economic issues, with planned meetings with the China Entrepreneur Club, the China Canada Business Council and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong.
Mr. Trudeau is also planning to promote a "Canadian hub" on Alibaba, a Chinese e-commerce giant, that will make it easier for Canadian firms to reach the country's growing middle-class market.
Any movement on free trade would come in future meetings, as Canada and China prepare to hold regular talks between their leaders. There are already a number of annual interactions at summits such as the G20 or Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation, but the two countries are working to formalize regular bilateral visits as well, sources said.
In addition, Finance Minister Bill Morneau, who will be part of the Canadian delegation heading to China, is now set to meet with senior Chinese officials every year as part of an annual "strategic dialogue," sources said.
Federal officials added there is a lot of work to be done before entering into free-trade talks, including devising a strategy to ensure that Canada gets a better and wider-ranging deal than the one recently signed by Australia.
"We have to go into this with our eyes wide open," a Canadian official said.
For now, federal officials are scrambling to deal with China's threat to halt imports of Canadian canola. A Canadian official said China has been warned this is a "major irritant" that threatens to overshadow Mr. Trudeau's meetings with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and President Xi Jinping.
"If it is not solved, Mr. Trudeau will have to raise the issue," a senior federal official said.
Chinese officials have responded that Canada has been aware of its concerns about the spread of blackleg fungal disease for seven years, and that its efforts to limit extraneous plant material in canola seed is simply based on science.
On another thorny file, odds are low of any movement on the issue of Kevin Garratt, a Canadian missionary detained on spying charges in China. Canadian officials have spent considerable energy on the case, and while progress has been made, there is no sense Mr. Garratt will be liberated before or during Mr. Trudeau's visit, sources said.
Over all, the Canadian government is of the view human rights have deteriorated in China in recent years.
Mr. Trudeau is planning to raise the issue in his private talks and to speak about it in public, while looking for the best way to have a long-term influence on the human-rights situation in the country. In particular, Canadian officials are looking to advance projects dealing with the rights of women and children in China, sources said.
"We want to set a very clear and constructive relationship with China that, yes, looks at the potential economic benefits of better trade relationships, while at the same time ensuring that our voice is heard clearly on issues of human rights, labour rights, democracy and environmental stewardship," Mr. Trudeau told reporters in Sudbury, Ont.
Federal officials are working to boost the popularity of Mr. Trudeau, who is scheduled to make an appearance on a popular social-media chat site and potentially speak at a university. The goal is to leverage the attention to increase the sale of Canadian goods and services to China's growing middle class, and to attract tourists and students to Canada.
In Shanghai, Mr. Trudeau is scheduled to meet with a number of female entrepreneurs and to promote Canadian clean technologies. He will then attend a G20 summit in Hangzhou, where he will hold a number of bilateral meetings with government leaders.