ISTANBUL
Beijing on Monday said its ties with Ottawa had improved since last year and China attaches “high importance” to an official visit by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney this week.
“The sound and steady development of ties (between China and Canada) serves common interests of the two countries and people, and is conducive to world peace, development stability, and prosperity,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters in Beijing.
Carney will travel to Beijing this week for a four-day official trip, beginning Wednesday, Mao said.
The trip comes at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang, said Mao.
Through the upcoming visit, Mao said China hopes that the two sides will “step up dialogue and communication, enhance political trust, expand practical cooperation, properly handle differences, address each other’s concerns, and consolidate turnout in ties.”
"Canada's new government is moving our economy from reliance to resilience -- building our strength at home, working to double our non-U.S. exports, and attracting massive new investment," said a statement by Carney’s office early this month.
Carney is scheduled to meet with President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang, and other government and business leaders.
According to the Canadian statement, the meetings will aim to elevate engagement on "trade, energy, agriculture, and international security."
"This visit marks the first visit to China by a Canadian Prime Minister since 2017," it added.
Canada and China established diplomatic relations in 1970, and the bilateral trade volume stood at around $67 billion at the end of 2024.