Prime Minister Mark Carney met with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
Xi welcomed Carney and his delegation to China. He said the leaders' last meeting marked a "turnaround" in China-Canada relations.
He said the two countries have since engaged in deep discussions about resuming and restarting co-operation across the board.
"I am heartened by the progress," Xi said through a translation.
Xi said a healthy and stable China-Canada relationship serves the common interest of both countries and is good for the peace, stability and prosperity of the world. He said he is ready to work with Carney "with a sense of responsibility."
Carney has said Canada is looking to enter a "new era of relations" with China. The two countries signed a number of agreements this week on energy, agriculture and animal health.
The two leaders shook hands in front of a display of Canadian and Chinese flags before sitting down for the meeting.
The prime minister was flanked by core ministers, including Foreign Minister Anita Anand, Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson and Industry Minister Mélanie Joly. Also joining him there was Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald and Liberal member of Parliament Michael Ma.
Carney said at the meeting he was "extremely pleased" the countries were moving ahead with a new strategic partnership.
The prime minister said the countries are focusing on areas where they can make historic gains — agriculture, energy and finance.
"Together, we can build on the best of what this relationship has been in the past to create a new one, adapt it to new global realities that will deliver stability, security and prosperity to our peoples on both sides of the Pacific," Carney said.
The meeting is the second between the two leaders, following a discussion the two had on the sidelines of the APEC summit in South Korea in October.
Premier Li Qiang said in a translation provided by the Chinese government this week that Carney’s meeting with Xi would pave the way for "upward growth" in the relationship.
Before the trip, Canadian officials told reporters to expect possible movement on — but not an end to — a tariff dispute affecting electric vehicles and canola.
Industry Minister Mélanie Joly said Thursday negotiations were still ongoing and Carney would have more to say after he met with Xi.
"There's still negotiation happening and, of course, the prime minister will be able to answer your question tomorrow," Joly said during a media scrum in Beijing when asked if she thinks a tariff breakthrough is possible.
The Carney government is seeking to double non-U.S. exports in the next decade in response to the unstable geopolitical and trading environment ushered in by the re-election of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Carney was in and out of a series of closed-door meetings with businesses throughout Thursday.
He met with top officials from such firms as Alibaba, China National Petroleum, the EV battery company Contemporary Amperex Technology, Primavera Capital Group and ICBC, China’s state-owned commercial bank.
Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
