Montreal, Canada - Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will visit China from January 13 to 17, his office announced Wednesday, signaling a thaw in relations that have been strained for years.

The trip, the first to China by a Canadian leader since 2017, aims to "strengthen cooperation in the areas of trade, energy, agriculture and international security," a Carney spokeswoman told AFP.

The first sign of improving ties came in late October when Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Carney met in South Korea on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.

Xi invited Carney to visit China following their meeting, which the Canadian premier had called a "turning point" in the strained relationship.

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The last Canadian leader to visit China was Justin Trudeau in December 2017.

Ties fell into a deep freeze in 2018 after the arrest of a senior Chinese telecom executive on a US warrant in Vancouver and China's retaliatory detention of two Canadians on espionage charges.

Ottawa and Beijing have since engaged in tit-for-tat tariffs, including on Canadian canola, an oilseed crop used to make cooking oil, animal meal, and biodiesel.

China has also been accused of interfering in Canadian elections in recent years.