BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday called on China and Canada to build a new strategic partnership guided by responsibility toward history, the people, and the world during talks with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney here in Beijing.
Xi said their meeting in October last year in Gyeongju, Republic of Korea, marked the beginning of a positive new phase in bilateral relations, with both sides holding in-depth discussions on restoring and expanding cooperation across multiple fields and achieving encouraging results.
He stressed that healthy and stable China-Canada relations serve the shared interests of both countries and contribute to global peace, stability, development, and prosperity. The two sides, he added, should steer bilateral ties toward sustainable and long-term growth to better benefit their peoples.
Outlining China’s approach to future ties, Xi proposed four key areas of cooperation. First, he said both countries should be partners of mutual respect, noting that 55 years of diplomatic relations—despite ups and downs—have offered valuable lessons. He emphasized respect for each other’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, political systems, and chosen development paths.
Second, Xi called for a partnership in common development, saying China-Canada economic and trade ties are rooted in mutual benefit and win-win cooperation. China’s high-quality development and continued opening-up, he said, would create fresh opportunities for bilateral cooperation. He urged both sides to expand cooperation while reducing restrictive measures to deepen shared interests.
Third, Xi highlighted the importance of mutual trust, describing people-to-people exchanges as the most enduring foundation of bilateral relations. He called for greater cooperation in education, culture, tourism, sports, and sub-national exchanges, as well as easier personnel movement to strengthen public support.
Fourth, Xi urged collaboration on global challenges, warning that a divided world cannot effectively address common problems. He said the solution lies in genuine multilateralism and building a community with a shared future for humanity. China, he added, is willing to strengthen coordination with Canada through platforms such as the United Nations, G20, and APEC.
Prime Minister Carney said Canada and China, with their long history of engagement and strong economic complementarity, share 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 one-China policy and pledged to work with China in a spirit of mutual respect to expand cooperation in areas including trade, energy, agriculture, finance, education, and climate change.
He also underscored the importance of multilateralism for global security and stability, saying President Xi’s Global Governance Initiative was significant. Canada, he said, is ready to enhance multilateral coordination with China to uphold the authority of the United Nations and promote international peace and stability.
Following the meeting, the two sides issued a joint statement on the China-Canada leaders’ talks.
