In an op-ed published in the Globe and Mail newspaper in June, the Chinese ambassador to Canada, Luo Zhaohui, called for the two countries to work together to usher in a “golden era” of Canada-China relations, following a visit by China’s foreign affairs minister Wang Yi – the first in seven years.
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Both China and Canada agree that a wide range of economic and trade cooperation would lay a foundation for bilateral ties and facilitate further communications on other aspects, including political and global issues, Li said.
Government negotiators in China are working hard to resolve a dispute that could affect Canadian canola exports, says Canada’s worldwide trade minister.
“Canada, through the fact that we are more open to trade than other countries are right now, have a deep friendship and a strong relationship with China that goes back generations, are in a position to help China position itself in a very positive way on the world stage”.
Still, Neve said activists are not opposed to deepening trade ties with China.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Wednesday that his country will be able to continue with its current canola export regime.
While on a state visit to China, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced restrictions on the import of Canadian canola will be postponed.
China is the biggest foreign consumer of Canadian canola, which is usually refined into an edible oil, but Li said Chinese canola producers and consumers were anxious about imported canola carrying disease.
Trudeau told a joint news conference that prior to his trip, China-Canada relations had “somewhat lacked in stability and regularity”.
The Canadian prime minister is accompanied by his wife Sophie Gregorie Trudeau and daughter Ella-Grace, as well as a government delegation that includes Foreign Minister Stephane Dion, Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland and Finance Minister Bill Morneau.
“Certainly we’re trying to show that we are prepared to see China take an important in the global economy”, he said.
Forty-three years after his father’s historic footstep, Trudeau will visit a very different China, whose economic progress has lifted millions of people out of poverty and reforms have made it the second-largest economy in the world.
Also Tuesday, Trudeau would not confirm Chinese reports that Canada is formally applying for membership in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, only saying Canada views the possibility favourably.
China agreed on Wednesday to delay introducing stricter rules on canola shipments from Canada while both countries work to end a months-long trade spat, offering an eleventh hour temporary reprieve for Canada’s farmers.
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Simply put, that means our efforts to sell more high-end goods to China’s burgeoning middle class have fallen flat.
