Gyeongju, South Korea - Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Friday met with Chinese President Xi Jinping for the first formal talks between the two countries' leaders since 2017.

Carney on Saturday called his talks with Xi the day before a "turning point" in relations between China and Canada, adding that he had raised tricky topics like foreign interference by Beijing.

Canada's relationship with China has been at an all-time low over recent years, as Ottawa has accused Beijing of using trade as leverage and interfering in Canada's elections.

Both nations, however, have drawn closer in the context of US President Donald Trump's unpredictable trade war, which has targeted both nations with rapidly changing tariffs that have negatively impacted their economies.

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"We have now unlocked a path forward to address current issues," Carney told journalists in the South Korean city of Gyeongju. "Our overall discussion was constructive."

"We now have a turning point in the relationship, a turning point that creates opportunities for Canadian families, for Canadian businesses," Carney said in remarks to reporters after the meeting. "Distance is not the way to solve problems, not the way to serve our people."

Carney's office also revealed in a statement on Saturday that he had accepted an invitation from Xi to visit China next year "at a mutually convenient time."

They also confirmed that Carney had discussed "solutions to respective sensitivities regarding issues including agriculture and agri-food products, such as canola, as well as seafood and electric vehicles."

In brief remarks translated from Chinese before the meeting began, Xi expressed a willingness to work with Canada and establish a better relationship between the two nations.

"China is willing to work together with Canada to push China-Canada relations back onto a healthy, stable and sustainable correct track at an early date, to better benefit the people of our two countries," Xi said.