Beijing, Jan. 16 — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
During the meeting, Carney said Canada is willing to work with China to advance bilateral relations into a new phase of development. He noted that the two countries have recently signed a number of cooperation agreements in areas including energy, agriculture and animal health, and expressed readiness to further expand practical cooperation in agriculture, energy and climate-related fields.
Carney said that, amid evolving global conditions, Canada and China should build their relationship on mutual respect and mutual benefit, adapt cooperation to new international realities, and contribute to stability and prosperity for both countries.
Xi said China attaches importance to developing relations with Canada and stands ready to strengthen communication and coordination with the Canadian side, enhance mutual understanding and trust, and properly manage differences. He said both sides should deepen cooperation in areas such as trade, energy, agriculture and people-to-people exchanges, in order to inject new momentum into bilateral relations.
The two leaders also exchanged views on international and regional issues of mutual interest.
The meeting marked the second encounter between the two leaders, following their discussions on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in the Republic of Korea in October last year. Chinese Premier Li Qiang said earlier this week that Carney’s visit would help create favorable conditions for further development of China-Canada relations.
During the visit, the two countries reached several cooperation understandings in the energy sector. On the issue of tariffs, both sides agreed to continue addressing relevant concerns through dialogue and consultations.
Photo by Carlos Osorio/Reuters
