Xi says ready to work with Canada to bring ties back to right track

GYEONGJU, South Korea - Chinese President Xi Jinping said Friday that China is ready to work with Canada to bring China-Canada relations back to the right track of healthy, stable and sustainable development at an early date for the better benefits of the two peoples.

This year marks the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Canada, as well as the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the strategic partnership, Xi said while meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on the sidelines of the 32nd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting.

He said that with the joint efforts of both sides, China-Canada relations have shown a positive momentum of recovery and improvement, which serves the common interests of the two countries.

China appreciates Canada's statement that it is ready to promote the improvement and development of bilateral relations in a practical and constructive manner, Xi said.

Xi called on the two countries to foster objective and rational perceptions of each other, view each other correctly, and advance the development of bilateral relations from the perspective of the common and long-term interests of the two countries.

The two sides should uphold mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, and expand practical collaboration in economy and trade, energy and other areas, he said.

Xi also urged both countries to enhance people-to-people exchanges, support all sectors of the two countries in increasing mutual understanding, and cement public support for bilateral relations.

China is ready to enhance its coordination and cooperation with Canada within such multilateral frameworks as the United Nations, promote the building of a more just and reasonable global governance system, and safeguard international fairness and justice, Xi added.

For his part, Carney said that since the establishment of diplomatic relations 55 years ago, Canada and China have maintained a good relationship for a long time.

The new Canadian government attaches great importance to its relations with China and looks forward to seizing the opportunity to improve and develop bilateral relations, reviving the original aspiration of establishing diplomatic relations, making up for lost time, restarting bilateral cooperation, and achieving greater results in Canada-China relations in a practical and constructive manner, Carney said.

He said Canada is ready to maintain close high-level exchanges with China, promote cooperation in agriculture, energy, climate change and other fields, achieve win-win results, and bring more benefits to the people of both countries.

In international affairs, Canada and China are like-minded and can enhance collaboration to jointly practice multilateralism, safeguard free trade, and promote the reform of the international economic order, said the prime minister.

Both sides agreed to resume exchanges and cooperation in various fields, promote the resolution of specific economic and trade issues of mutual concern, consolidate the positive momentum, and jointly advance the development of the China-Canada strategic partnership.