Beijing is willing to work with Ottawa to deepen communication and accelerate cooperation, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Canadian counterpart in another sign of improving ties between the two countries.
According to a Chinese foreign ministry statement, Wang told Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand in a phone call on Tuesday that the two countries could strengthen coordination in areas including foreign affairs and commerce, and “properly address their legitimate concerns and promote the healthy, stable and sustainable development of China-Canada relations”.
“China is willing to strengthen communication with Canada, take effective actions, accelerate the resumption of exchanges and cooperation in various fields, and consolidate the momentum of further improvement and development of China-Canada relations in a pragmatic and constructive manner,” Wang said.
Tuesday’s call came amid efforts by both sides to repair strained relations and followed a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on October 31 on the sidelines of a multilateral forum in South Korea.
The meeting – the first formal talks between the leaders of China and Canada since 2017 – resulted in both sides agreeing to restart exchanges and cooperation.
