Prime Minister Mark Carney and Chinese President Xi Jinping meet before the start of a meeting in Gyeongju, South Korea.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
Wang Di is China’s ambassador to Canada.
On Oct. 31, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on the sidelines of the 32nd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Gyeongju, South Korea.
The two leaders reached important consensuses and provided strategic guidance for further improving and developing China-Canada relations. This meeting marked a complete turnaround in bilateral ties. Both sides agreed to resume exchanges across various fields, properly handle trade irritants and jointly advance the China-Canada strategic partnership.
This year marks the 55th anniversary of China-Canada diplomatic relations and the 20th anniversary of the China-Canada strategic partnership. Under the guidance of leaders of both countries, bilateral relations have shown positive momentum of recovery and improvement. Exchanges in various fields and at multiple levels have become increasingly active.
The meeting between Mr. Xi and Mr. Carney has charted a blueprint and set the direction for the development of the China-Canada strategic partnership. It has drawn wide attention and warm welcome from all sectors in both countries. Improving and developing China-Canada relations serves the shared interests and meets the common expectations of both peoples.
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We should rebuild strategic mutual trust. President Xi underscored that China and Canada should develop an objective and rational perception of one another, view each other in the correct way and advance bilateral relations in light of the common and long-term interests of both countries.
China is willing to maintain high-level exchanges with Canada, deepen mutual trust, strengthen mutual understanding and resume co-operation and exchanges in various areas to jointly safeguard the political foundation of bilateral relations.
We should pursue mutual benefit and win-win co-operation. China and Canada are highly complementary in resource endowment and economic structure. Both countries have co-operated fruitfully and there is vast potential ahead.
China has long been Canada’s second-largest trading partner and has consistently promoted pragmatic co-operation with Canada with an open and pro-active attitude. The energy and other sectors have become new drivers of bilateral economic and trade relations.
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We believe that as long as both sides adhere to the principle of mutual benefit and win-win results, economic co-operation will continue to prosper and deliver tangible benefits to both peoples.
We should strengthen people-to-people exchanges. On Nov. 3, China decided to reinstate Chinese tour group travel into Canada – a move welcomed across Canada as a significant step forward for bilateral ties.
We hope that Canada will work in the same direction as China to jointly promote mutual visits and people-to-people exchanges, so as to consolidate the public support for stronger bilateral relations.
We should uphold international fairness and justice. The world today is undergoing profound and complex changes, with unilateralism seriously eroding the existing international system.
Against this backdrop, President Xi has put forward the Global Governance Initiative, with an aim to build a more just and equitable global-governance system. China and Canada share broad common ground and many interests in upholding multilateralism, safeguarding free trade and advancing the reform of the international economic order.
China stands ready to strengthen multilateral co-ordination and co-operation with Canada to bring about a more just and equitable global-governance system and jointly uphold international fairness and justice.
The fourth plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China recently adopted recommendations for the “15th Five-Year Plan,” which will inject greater certainty into China’s economic and social development in the years ahead.
China will continue to pursue high-standard opening-up and high-quality development, which will make new and important contributions to global economic growth. We welcome all countries, Canada included, to share the opportunities arising from China’s development, to advance together on our respective paths of national progress and to achieve mutual success.
As the saying goes, the path becomes wider when you travel with your partner. Standing at a new historical starting point in China-Canada relations, China is willing to work together with Canada to implement the important consensus reached by the two leaders, and to continuously advance the strategic partnership for the greater benefits of both peoples.
With joint efforts, there is every reason to believe that new positive developments in bilateral relations will continue to emerge.