Chinese president calls for stronger inter-parliamentary exchanges with Canada

Chinese President Hu Jintao (C) meets with Canadian Senate Speaker Noel A. Kinsella (L) and Speaker of the House of Commons Peter Milliken in Ottawa June 25, 2010. (Xinhua/Ma Zhancheng)
Visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao said on Friday that inter-parliamentary exchanges are an integral part of China-Canada relations and of great significance for enhancing mutual understanding and public endorsement of bilateral links.

Hu made the remarks when meeting Noel Kinsella, speaker of the Canadian Senate, and Peter Milliken, speaker of the House of Commons.

Over the years, said Hu, the National People's Congress (NPC), China's legislature, has maintained a sound relationship of cooperation and friendly exchanges with both chambers of the Canadian parliament.

Exchanges between the legislatures of the two countries have become increasingly vigorous with a mature mechanism and have seen many significant achievements. Such activities have played an important role in advancing bilateral relations, Hu added.

The Chinese president expressed the hope that the two sides will continue to make good use of the important platform to further advance exchanges on legislation and regulation so as to promote the friendship between the two peoples and the relationship between the two countries.

Over the past four decades, China-Canada relations have always moved forward despite changes in the international situation, and the two countries have conducted frequent contacts at various levels and achieved remarkable results in bilateral cooperation, Hu noted.

Under the new situation, growing common interests have made relations between the two countries even more important, he said.

China is ready to work with Canada to develop bilateral relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, to strengthen exchanges and mutual trust, and thus continuously advance the strategic partnership between the two countries.

Kinsella and Milliken welcomed Hu's visit, saying the visit will help boost the Canada-China strategic partnership. They congratulated China on its remarkable achievements and appreciated China's efforts to eliminate poverty, increase employment and maintain economic growth.

Emphasizing that there are no obstacles to further expanding bilateral links, they expressed the hope to maintain this momentum in the growth of Canada-China relations by increasing trade and people-to-people exchanges, expanding practical cooperation on tourism and agriculture and exploring the ways to address such issues as food security.

The two parliamentary leaders also stressed that the Canadian legislature strongly supports parliamentary diplomacy and is ready to step up communication with the NPC.

During his stay in Ottawa, Hu also held separate talks with Governor-General Michaelle Jean and Prime Minister Stephen Harper and met with Michael Ignatieff, leader of the Canadian Liberal Party, and former Prime Minister Jean Chretien.

During Hu's visit, the governments of China and Canada signed a series of cooperation documents, including an agreement on opening Canada to Chinese tourists. Companies of both countries also sealed a number of deals involving mutually beneficial cooperation in the areas of mining, energy and telecommunications.

Hu will fly to Toronto on Friday afternoon to continue the state visit and to attend a summit of the Group of 20 countries, which will focus on recovery of the world economy and reform of the global financial system.

The G20 summit, grouping leaders of Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Britain, Canada, China, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey and the United States, has become a major mechanism for global economic governance. Heads of international organizations such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund will also attend the meeting.

Source: Xinhua