FIRST READING: As First Nations acquire new land, political control, Beijing appears to take notice - National Post

Photo from the China-Canada Economic and Trade Cooperation Roundtable, held in Vancouver on Sept. 3. Photo by Embassy of the People's Republic of China in CanadaArticle contentFirst Reading is a Canadian politics newsletter curated by the National Post’s own Tristin Hopper. To get an early version sent directly to your inbox, sign up here.

With B.C. still embroiled in controversy regarding the large-scale transfer of land and political control to First Nations, the Chinese embassy touted the completion of a summit to strengthen ties between Beijing and Indigenous groups.

Convened on Sept. 3 in Vancouver, the “economic roundtable” included Ernie Daniels, president and CEO of the First Nations Finance Authority.

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In a statement, Chinese Ambassador to Canada Wang Di praised links with First Nations communities and expressed his hope that they would “lay an even more solid foundation for the China—Canada new strategic partnership.”

“The roundtable meeting discussed the future direction of China-Canada economic and trade cooperation, including cooperation on green transition, indigenous finance and community development,” read a summary by the embassy.

Also in attendance were former federal finance minister Bill Morneau and B.C. senator Yuen Pau Woo.

Summits between PRC officials and First Nations representatives have happened before. The Canada China Business Council, for one, has organized three all-Indigenous trade missions to Beijing, the most recent in 2024.

But the Sept. 3 roundtable is the Beijing-sanctioned event convened in the wake of a series of developments that have markedly increased Indigenous power, particularly in B.C.

Just one year ago, in August 2025, the B.C. Supreme Court released the landmark Cowichan Tribes decision which effectively ceded 300 hectares of privately owned land in Richmond, B.C. to the control of the Cowichan Tribes First Nation.