Eby’s China LNG Pitch Needs More Than a Secret Itinerary

If this trip is important enough to sell as a jobs strategy, it is important enough to explain.

Premier David Eby has left for China with a big promise and a conspicuous omission. The promise is that British Columbia can diversify trade, sell more forestry, agricultural and energy products, and protect jobs by building deeper ties with China. The omission is the full itinerary.

The province’s official release says Eby’s mission runs from June 27 to July 3, 2026, with meetings in key cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. It frames China as B.C.’s second-largest export market and says 2025 goods exports to China were valued at nearly $11 billion, almost 20 per cent of provincial commodity exports. That is not a side file. It is a major economic relationship.

But Canadian Press, carried by Global News, reported that Eby’s government did not release the full itinerary. Eby’s explanation was that disclosure could give competitors in other provinces and countries an “unfair advantage” while B.C. seeks customers and deals. That is a claim from the premier, not proof that broad secrecy is necessary.

The same report says Eby received briefings from both the RCMP and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service before the trip to reduce risk and maximize opportunity. That does not mean wrongdoing is occurring. It does mean the government itself recognizes the trip involves real security and strategic considerations. When the premier invokes security briefings on one hand and withholds the full schedule on the other, public-interest scrutiny is not optional.

The biggest target is LNG. CP/Global reported that Eby’s “really big fish” is a meeting with PetroChina to discuss Phase 2 of LNG Canada in Kitimat, with a final investment decision expected later this year. LNG Canada’s own materials identify PetroChina as one of the project’s five joint-venture participants, alongside Shell, PETRONAS, Mitsubishi and KOGAS, with PetroChina’s subsidiary holding a 15 per cent interest.

So British Columbians are being asked to accept a narrow window into a trip involving foreign government and business leaders, a strategic energy project, a major export market, and an LNG partner with a direct stake in Kitimat expansion. That may be defensible in parts. It is not defensible as a blank cheque.

Eby’s government should publish what it can now and commit to a detailed post-trip accounting: who met whom, what was requested, what commitments were made, what public supports or regulatory expectations were discussed, and what risks were flagged by officials. If the answer is jobs, show the public the job math. If the answer is trade diversification, show the public the terms. If the answer is secrecy, show the public the limit.

B.C. does not need performative isolation. It does need adult transparency. A premier chasing LNG deals overseas should not expect taxpayers to clap from the dark while the itinerary stays partly behind the curtain.