Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to make human rights concerns a central pillar of his upcoming visit to China, warning that engagement without accountability risks undermining Canada’s core values and national interests.

Carney’s visit, scheduled from January 13 to 17, will be the first by a Canadian Prime Minister to China in more than eight years and comes at a time of strained bilateral relations. According to HRW, the trip coincides with a period of intensified repression under Chinese President Xi Jinping, both within China and beyond its borders.

In a statement, HRW recalled that relations between Ottawa and Beijing sharply deteriorated after Chinese authorities detained two Canadian citizens between 2018 and 2021. The organization described the detentions as politically motivated and aimed at pressuring Canada following the arrest of a senior executive from Chinese technology firm Huawei.

“Prime Minister Carney should recognize that the Chinese government’s deepening repression threatens not only the rights of people in China, but increasingly Canada’s own interests and democratic values,” said Maya Wang, Deputy Asia Director at Human Rights Watch. “Trade and security discussions should not come at the cost of silence on human rights.”

HRW outlined several key issues it believes the Canadian leader should raise during high-level meetings in Beijing. These include forced labour practices linked to Chinese supply chains, the imprisonment and harassment of human rights defenders, and the targeting of critics living abroad, including in Canada.

The rights organization highlighted widespread labour rights violations in China, noting that independent labour unions are prohibited and labour activists frequently face detention or imprisonment. HRW also said authorities have cracked down on labour protests and shut down monitoring organisations, including in Hong Kong.

“Canadians should not have to worry that the products they buy are linked to forced labour,” Wang said, adding that pressing Beijing on labour protections would also safeguard Canadian consumers and businesses.

Hong Kong was another major area of concern cited by HRW. The group noted that an estimated 300,000 Canadians reside in the city, where freedoms of expression, assembly, and association have been significantly curtailed. According to HRW, democratic institutions, judicial independence, and fair trial rights have been systematically weakened under Beijing’s tightening control.

The organization also raised alarm over what it described as China’s growing use of transnational repression. HRW alleged that Chinese authorities have increasingly harassed, intimidated, and monitored critics overseas, including Canadian residents and citizens. In one documented case, a Canadian political candidate critical of Beijing was reportedly targeted during an election campaign.

While Canadian officials have spoken publicly about some of these concerns, HRW said Carney’s visit presents a crucial opportunity to address them directly with President Xi Jinping.

“The Chinese government’s abuses fall most heavily on people inside China, but their impact is global,” Wang said. “Prime Minister Carney should not squander this opportunity to use diplomacy to press for accountability, respect for rights, and an end to cross-border intimidation.”