Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney praised Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday and pointed to rapid progress in bilateral ties, saying conditions were in place for the two countries to become strategic partners across multiple fields.
Carney's optimistic remarks, in a meeting with China's top legislator Zhao Leji in Beijing, followed months of intense re-engagement by both countries aimed at recalibrating ties that had soured under the previous prime minister, Justin Trudeau.
The four-day visit to China was the first by a Canadian prime minister since 2017, following up on Carney's positive meeting with Xi in South Korea in October. The two are set to meet again Friday.
Carney said he was "heartened by the leadership of President Xi Jinping," adding that warming ties had paved the way for a strategic partnership in areas such as energy, people-to-people ties and security, according to a spokesperson for his office.
Re-engagement with China has also been fueled by a push to diversify export markets after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on Canada last year and suggested the longtime U.S. ally could become his country's 51st state.
