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Government Documents
Government Documents
UPDATED: July 22, 2010 NO. 28 JULY 15, 2010
Promote the All-round Development of the China-Canada Strategic Partnership
Speech at the Banquet Hosted by Prime Minister Stephen Harper by Hu Jintao, President of the People's Republic of China in Ottawa, June 24, 2010
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The Rt. Hon. Prime Minister Stephen Harper,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear Friends,

Let me begin by expressing heartfelt thanks to Prime Minister Harper for hosting this grand banquet and delivering warm remarks.

I also wish to take this opportunity to extend appreciation to the Canada China Business Council (CCBC) and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) for their efforts to organize the Fourth China Canada Business Forum. Over the years, the CCBC and all of you present have made active contributions to deepening mutual understanding and friendship between our two peoples and pushing forward relations between our two countries. I wish to extend my heartfelt appreciation to you and, through you, to the people from various sectors of Canada who have cared for and supported the growth of China-Canada friendship.

I am delighted to once again pay a state visit to Canada on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of our diplomatic relations. Today, I had fruitful meetings and talks with Governor General Michaëlle Jean and Prime Minister Harper, and we reached extensive consensus in our discussions. We reaffirmed our commitment to the China-Canada strategic partnership and agreed to take the opportunity of the 40th anniversary of our diplomatic relations to further advance our bilateral ties in all respects.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

In October 1970, leaders of China and Canada, acting in the fundamental interests of the two countries and peoples, took the strategic decision to establish diplomatic relations between us. It was a move that met the trend of the time and turned a new page in China-Canada relations. Since then, our bilateral relations have made remarkable achievements thanks to efforts of both sides. The two countries have had frequent contacts at the top and other levels. We have carried out fruitful practical cooperation. Annual trade volume surged from a mere $150 million in the early days of our diplomatic ties to $29.7 billion in 2009. China is now Canada's second largest trading partner and third largest export market. Bilateral mutually-beneficial cooperation in culture, education, healthcare, justice and law enforcement has grown in both scope and depth. And we have maintained effective communication and coordination on many major international and regional issues. In recent years, there have been more than 700,000 mutual visits between the people of our two countries each year. It means that each day over 2,000 people travel across the Pacific Ocean between our two countries. We have established seven sister-province relationships and 37 sister-city relationships.

What has happened shows that the growing China-Canada relationship has brought concrete benefits to our peoples, and contributed significantly to peace, stability and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. Though our national conditions differ, there exists no conflict of fundamental interests between us, and our common interests far outweigh our differences. As long as we both adhere to the principles of mutual respect, equality, mutual benefit and seeking common ground while reserving differences, as long as we keep to the right direction of bilateral relations, we will make our relationship a model for relations between countries different in social system and level and model of development.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Under the new circumstances, China and Canada can benefit greatly from each other's development. Our common interests are broadening and our cooperation in all areas holds tremendous potential. A sound, stable, positive and growing China-Canada relationship serves the interests of China, Canada, the Asia-Pacific region and the world at large.

To advance China-Canada relations, we must take a strategic and long-term perspective, maintain our strategic partnership, and inject new impetus into the growth of our relations. We must increase high-level exchanges and continue and expand consultations at various levels to increase mutual understanding and trust. We must push forward practical cooperation in all fields and explore new ways and means of cooperation, so that the people can feel for themselves the benefits of our cooperation. We must intensify coordination on major international and regional issues, enhance consultations and cooperation on climate change, nuclear security, food security, public health security and counter-terrorism, and contribute our share to a more just and equitable international order. We must respect and accommodate each other's core interests and major concerns and appropriately handle sensitive issues to ensure that our bilateral relations will move forward without disruption. We must encourage extensive exchanges between various sectors of the two countries and increase the mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples with a view to consolidating public support for China-Canada friendship.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Trade and economic cooperation is a key component of China-Canada relations. Deeper business cooperation serves the fundamental interests of our two countries and peoples. It is also essential to our efforts to advance our strategic partnership in an all-round way. Our two economies are highly complementary and our cooperation has bright prospects. Trade between us now accounts for only 1 percent of China's total foreign trade and less than 6 percent of that of Canada's. Canada's investment in China takes up less than 1 percent of total foreign investment in China. This shows that a lot can be done in boosting our trade and economic cooperation. We must seize the opportunities and broaden our vision to expand our business cooperation and raise it to a higher level. We should, on the basis of mutual benefit and win-win progress, tap the potential, enrich the substance, and innovate the ways of our cooperation. To this end, I wish to make the following proposals.

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