China, Canada vow to steer ties on track of development

Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday that China is willing to work with Canada to resume dialogue and exchanges at all levels, address each other's legitimate concerns and expand people-to-people exchanges, as he met with Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand in Beijing.

Wang said Beijing stands ready to enhance communication and coordination with Ottawa in multilateral affairs, jointly uphold multilateralism and safeguard the international economic and trade order, so as to steer their ties onto a track of healthy, stable and sustainable development at an early date.

Anand's two-day visit, which began on Thursday, is the latest high-level interaction between the two countries amid an encouraging momentum of increasing contacts and cooperation between their diplomatic, economic and trade departments.

In September, Premier Li Qiang met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in New York.

Wang said that as this year marks the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Canada, President Xi Jinping and Carney have exchanged letters, charting the course for further improvement of bilateral relations.

Anand's visit, Wang said, offers both sides an important opportunity to revisit the original aspiration behind the establishment of diplomatic ties and enable a reset of Sino-Canadian relations.

The development of bilateral ties has shown that China and Canada, despite differences in systems and paths, always share extensive common interests and broad prospects for cooperation, Wang said.

The two countries can become partners for mutual success and common development on the basis of mutual respect, he added.

China, Wang said, is ready to strengthen communication with Canada, enhance mutual understanding and rebuild trust in a forward-looking spirit.

Wang also expressed the hope that Canada will abide by the one-China principle and safeguard the political foundation of bilateral relations.

Anand told Wang that the Canadian prime minister attaches great importance to cooperation with China and is committed to recalibrating bilateral ties. She said Canada hopes to build on the four pillars of cooperation — in economy and trade, security, global governance and people-to-people exchanges — to elevate the Canada-China strategic partnership.

Anand stressed Canada's adherence to the one-China policy and said that her country is willing to strengthen high-level exchanges with China, deepen mutual trust, make full use of dialogue and consultation mechanisms in diplomacy, economy and trade, and promote cooperation in various areas.

Canada welcomes Chinese enterprises to invest and do business in the country, she added.

Prior to Anand's visit, it was reported by Canadian media that officials in Canada and China are trying to arrange a meeting later this fall between Xi and Carney, who have not met since Carney took office.

mojingxi@chinadaily.com.cn