China and Canada pledged on Thursday to jointly uphold the multilateral trading system and the core role of the United Nations in international affairs while agreeing to strengthen dialogue and promote cooperation in various fields.
Premier Li Qiang and visiting Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney expressed the two countries' commitment to enhancing bilateral relations and safeguarding multilateralism during their talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
Carney arrived in Beijing on Wednesday for a four-day official visit to China, the first trip to the country by a Canadian prime minister in eight years, highlighting the recent warming of bilateral ties. President Xi Jinping is expected to meet with him during Carney's stay in Beijing.
Li said that, through joint efforts, China-Canada relations have seen a turnaround, which has been widely welcomed by various sectors in both countries.
Maintaining a healthy and stable development of China-Canada relations aligns with the common interests of both nations, he added.
Standing at a new starting point, China is willing to work with Canada to maintain the strategic partnership, strengthen dialogue and communication, enhance political mutual trust, respect each other's core interests, seek common ground while reserving differences, and continuously expand pragmatic cooperation to add greater momentum to the development of both countries, Li said. He underlined the need for the two countries to promote stable growth in bilateral trade.
Li also stressed the need for both sides to enhance trade facilitation, deepen collaboration in the fields of clean energy, digital technology, modern agriculture, aviation and aerospace, advanced manufacturing and finance, and foster more new drivers of economic growth.
While welcoming more Canadian companies to invest in China, the premier expressed the hope that Canada would provide a fair and nondiscriminatory business environment for Chinese companies investing in the country.
China is willing to strengthen cooperation with Canada under the frameworks of the UN, the World Trade Organization and the G20, in order to jointly uphold multilateralism and free trade, improve global governance and promote the international order toward a more just and reasonable direction, Li said.
China-Canada relations have shown positive momentum toward recovery and improvement since last year.
In October, Xi met with Carney on the sidelines of the 32nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders' Meeting in the Republic of Korea, and both sides agreed to resume exchanges and cooperation in various fields, promote the resolution of specific economic and trade issues of mutual concern, and jointly advance the development of the China-Canada strategic partnership.
The engagement was preceded by a meeting between Li and Carney on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September, and was followed by visits to China by senior Canadian officials, including its foreign minister.
After landing in Beijing late on Wednesday, Carney posted on social media that the relationship between Canada and China has created prosperity on both sides of the Pacific Ocean. "We're ready to build a new partnership, one that builds on the best of our past and responds to the challenges of today," he wrote on X.
When meeting with Premier Li on Thursday, Carney said that Canada was one of the first Western nations to recognize the People's Republic of China, and it has consistently adhered to the one-China policy since the establishment of diplomatic ties.
Amid profound changes in the current international landscape, Canada is ready to strengthen communication and coordination with China to jointly defend multilateralism and promote world peace, stability and prosperity, Carney said.
He added that Canada appreciates China's application to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Following their talks, they witnessed the signing of multiple cooperation documents covering trade, customs, energy, construction, culture and public security.
Carney's visit comes at a time when Canada is looking to stabilize and expand ties with its second-largest trading partner. The visit has been welcomed by the business community as a sign of renewed engagement between the two countries.
Bijan Ahmadi, executive director and chief operating officer of the Canada China Business Council, said that regular high-level dialogue is essential for effectively managing bilateral relations and addressing practical challenges, particularly in the economy and trade.
"In the future, when companies face the Chinese market, they will no longer hesitate because of diplomatic tensions," he said, adding that companies would be able to more confidently plan market expansion and investment.
Zheng Xiaoling, president of the Canada International Trade Promotion Society, said that Carney's visit is expected to send an important signal to businesses in both countries at a time when geopolitical tensions are intensifying and global supply chains are being reshaped.
The visit carries "important economic and strategic significance", particularly against the backdrop of growing global uncertainty, and could create new opportunities for Canadian companies looking to expand or stabilize their presence in the Chinese market, Zheng added.
