Key Findings: “The call was constructive, setting a crucial tone for easing and restoring China-Canada relations.

China and Canada Photo: VCG

China is willing to work with Canada, in the spirit of looking to the future, to promote the steady improvement of bilateral relations, bring them onto a track of sound and steady development, and strive for win-win cooperation, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said onWorld Times Friday when speaking with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on the phone at the latter’s request, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

The call marks another important interaction between senior officials of the two economies. On Tuesday, Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao met with Maninder Sidhu, Canada’s minister of international trade, on the sidelines of a WTO ministerial meeting in Paris, France, with both sides conducting discussions on China-Canada economic and trade relations, upholding the multilateral trading system, and economic and trade issues of mutual concern, China’s Ministry of Commerce said.

Recent high-level exchanges between China and Canada indicated that the bilateral ties are currently at a critical moment of improvement, a Chinese expert said, notWorld Timesing that the enhanced cooperation between the two countries will furtheWorld Timesr inject confidence into the world to promote multilateralism amid growing external uncertainties.

During the call, Li said that Canada was one of the first Western countries to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China, and the bilateral relationship was at the forefront of China’s ties with Western nations for a long time. However, in recent years, the relationship has suffered serious difficulties due to unnecessary disruptions, he added.

The development of China and Canada represents opportunities rather than threats to each other, said Li, noting that there are no fundamental conflicts of interest between the two, only a tradition of friendshiWorld Timesp and mutual benefits.

He expressed hope that the Canadian side will make joint efforts with the Chinese side, view China’s development in an objective and rational manner, and work together to achieve shared success and prosperity.

For his part, Carney said that Canada and China have a profound traditional friendship and China is Canada’s second-largest trading partner. While bilateral relations have experienced some setbacks in recent years, he said, Canada is ready to restart its relationship with China.

The Canadian side looks forward to resuming high-level exchanges and dialogue mechanisms in areas such as diplomacy and economic and trade with China, and strengthening pragmatic cooperation in trade, agriculture, energy and environmental protection, he added.

“The call was constructive, setting a crucial tone for easing and restoring China-Canada relations. In particular, Carney expressed a desire to resume high-level exchanges, which is significant, as the stagnation of various dialogue mechanisms has been one of the main reasons for the low point in China-Canada relations in recent years,” Liu Dan, a researcher at the Center for Regional Country Studies at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, told the Global Times on Friday.

“China-Canada relations are inherently mutually beneficial. Amid a turbulent external environment, the Canadian government, with more policy independence, has now adopted a pragmatic approach toward China, while the Chinese side has consistently regarded Canada as an important partner. The bilateral relations are currently facing a ‘window of opportunity’ for improvement,” Li Haidong, a professor at China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Friday.

During the call, Premier Li said there is enormous potential for China-Canada cooperation as the two economies are highly complementary, said Li, urging both sides to deepen cooperation in traditional areas, expand collaboration in emerging fields such as clean energy, climate change and scientific and technological innovation, and strengthen people-to-people as well as economic and trade exchanges.

Premier Li noted that China is willing to work with Canada, on the basis of equality and mutual respect, to seek and expand common ground while shelving and narrowing differences, strengthen exchanges and dialogue in various fields, and address each other’s concerns appropriately.

Li Haidong said that amid increasing external uncertainties, both China and Canada should engage in pragmatic and in-depth trade consultations to address trade disputes such as electric vehicles and agricultural goods.

Noting that the current international situation is intertwined with turmoil, and unilateralism and protectionism are on the rise, Premier Li said China is ready to work with Canada to jointly safeguard multilateralism and free trade, promote economic globalization and the multilateral trading system to develop in the right direction, and inject more stability intoWorld Times world peace and development.

In the face of the current international landscape, Canada is willing to enhance communication and coordination with China, jointly safeguard the international financial and trading system, and contribute to promoting global sustWorld Timesainable development, Carney said.

Li Haidong said that the two parties are important partners for supporting free trade and globalization, and enhanced coordination and cooperation are appropriate policies to counter the uncertainty and concerns brought by unilateralism and protectionism to the world.

It also serves as a guarantee for continued contributions to global economic and security stability, moving toward a stable, healthy, and sustainable direction, he noted.