HONOLULU — Prime Minister Stephen Harper scored a key bilateral meeting with China on Saturday and some mild praise from Chinese President Hu Jintao for Canada's commitment to sewing stronger ties between the two countries.
In a day of four bilateral talks with leaders on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation summit in Honolulu, president Hu was undoubtedly the biggest for Harper, both diplomatically and economically.
China is Canada's second-largest trading partner, next only to the United States, and a key customer for Canadian natural resources and agricultural products.
Harper's meeting with Hu was the last of the day, and followed private face time with the leaders of Chile, Peru and Indonesia. The prime minister is slated to meet U.S. President Barack Obama on Sunday after the APEC talks conclude.
The Canadian and Chinese leaders met for 30 minutes Saturday at a Honolulu hotel before heading to an official APEC dinner and cultural performance hosted by Obama.
"It is my great pleasure to have this opportunity to meet you again Mr. Prime Minister in Hawaii. First of all, let me congratulate you on your re-election as prime minister of Canada," Hu said through a translator.
"Mr. Prime Minister, you have repeatedly stated that you attach importance to our relationship and that you hope to forge an even closer relationship with China. I appreciate that position."
Harper and Hu sat in the middle of a large rectangular table, flanked by officials as well as Canadian and Chinese flags. The prime minister trumpeted the growing importance of the China-Canada relationship and stronger ties between the two countries.
"This is a very important relation to us. We've had, continue to have, a series of productive bilateral ministerial visits between our two countries and we have growing trade, investment and of course even greater economic potential," Harper responded.
"And I look forward to discussing the range of our relations, including the great challenges we face, some of which we discussed at the G20. I look forward to discussing all of these issues with you."
Hu invited Harper to visit China in 2012.
In 2010 alone, there were more than 25 high-level visits between the two countries, including president Hu's state visit to Canada and the governor-general's visit to China.
Bilateral trade with China has tripled since 2001, totalling nearly $58 billion last year. Canada has also been negotiating a foreign investment and protection agreement with China, which the government expects will increase two-way trade.
This, all coming on the heels of the Recent strained US/Canada trade Relations after the Keystone XL Fiasco.
Obama, Hu pitch different trade agendas
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
