Enviro News Asia, Beijing — Chinese President Xi Jinping met Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in Beijing on Friday, calling on both countries to advance the building of a new China–Canada strategic partnership and steer bilateral relations toward stable, sustainable development.
Xi said the sound and steady development of China–Canada relations serves the common interests of both nations and contributes to global peace, stability, and prosperity. He emphasized that, with a sense of responsibility to history and to their peoples, both sides should strengthen cooperation and deliver tangible benefits to citizens of both countries.
The meeting marked the second encounter between Xi and Carney in less than three months, following their talks in Gyeongju, the Republic of Korea, in October last year. That meeting was widely seen as a turning point that helped place bilateral ties on a more positive trajectory.
Xi underlined that China and Canada should act as partners based on mutual respect, mutual trust, and shared development. Despite differences in national conditions, he said, both sides should respect each other’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, political systems, and development paths, while adhering to appropriate principles of state-to-state relations.
On economic cooperation, Xi described China–Canada trade relations as fundamentally mutually beneficial. He noted that China’s pursuit of high-quality development and continued opening-up would create new opportunities for bilateral cooperation. Xi encouraged both sides to expand cooperation, narrow restrictive measures, and strengthen shared interests through deeper and broader engagement.
Xi also called for enhanced exchanges in education, culture, tourism, sports, and sub-national cooperation, as well as measures to facilitate two-way travel in order to build stronger public support for bilateral ties. He said China stands ready to strengthen communication and coordination with Canada within multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations, the G20, and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation to jointly address global challenges.
Prime Minister Carney said Canada and China share a long history of engagement and strong economic complementarity, giving both countries broad common interests and opportunities. He expressed Canada’s willingness to build a strong and enduring strategic partnership with China for the benefit of both peoples.
Carney reaffirmed Canada’s adherence to the one-China policy and said his government is committed to expanding cooperation with China in areas including trade, energy, agriculture, finance, education, and climate change. He also stressed the importance of multilateralism for global security and stability, noting the relevance of China’s Global Governance Initiative.
During Carney’s visit, the two sides issued a joint statement following the leaders’ meeting and signed multiple cooperation agreements covering trade, customs, energy, construction, culture, and public security.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang also met with Carney, welcoming greater Canadian investment in China and expressing hope that Canada would provide a fair and non-discriminatory environment for Chinese enterprises.
Commenting on the visit, Wang Wen, dean of the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China, said the new Canadian government’s efforts to improve ties reflect a pragmatic and rational approach. He added that restoring stable relations would enhance political trust and reinvigorate cooperation in economic, trade, and cultural fields, benefiting both countries. (*)
