Chinese president, Canadian PM discuss cooperation

Chinese President Hu Jintao met with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper here Sunday to discuss the strategic partnership between the two countries. The two leaders met on the sidelines of the two-day Economic Leaders' Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, which began in this Russian Far Eastern city on Saturday.

Hu said that in recent years China-Canada relations have kept a sound development momentum and that bilateral cooperation has been fruitful in various fields. The two countries have maintained close contacts and coordination on international and regional affairs, he added.

Bilateral relations are showing signs of enormous vitality and huge potential, Hu said.

The world situation is a complex and changeable one and there are increasing variables in global economic development, he said. Therefore, developing China-Canada relations is becoming more and more important in face of the new challenges, he added.

The Chinese president put forward a four-point proposal for the further development of the strategic partnership between the two countries.

Firstly, Hu said the two countries should stick to the principles of mutual respect and non-interference in each other's internal affairs, treat each other as equals, boost political trust and properly handle each other's core interests and major concerns.

Secondly, both countries should steadily advance cooperation in economy and trade, energy, resources, science and technology, environmental protection, infrastructure development and services, taking advantage of the complementarity of the two economies, Hu said.

The two sides, Hu said, should broaden bilateral investment cooperation and advance major projects, taking as opportunity the signing of the China-Canada agreement on investment protection.

Thirdly, Hu called on the two countries to continuously promote people-to-people and cultural exchanges, boost mutual understanding and friendship and consolidate public support for the development of bilateral relations.

Fourthly, he said the two sides should expand cooperation in multilateral arenas, including the United Nations, the Group of 20 and APEC, so as to maintain peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region and the world at large.

For his part, Harper said establishing the Canada-China strategic partnership, signing a cooperative agreement on peaceful use of nuclear energy, accomplishing a study on the complementarity of the two economies and finalizing the agreement on investment protection have injected great impetus into bilateral ties.

As the global financial crisis still drags on, enhancing bilateral cooperation will not only bring benefits to the two countries, but is also conducive to global economic recovery, he said.

Canada, Harper said, is willing to work with China to maintain high-level contacts and enhance political dialogue and communication and coordination on major international issues, deepen mutual understanding and jointly oppose protectionism in various forms.

Harper also expressed his country's support to China in hosting the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in 2014, saying Canada would like to strengthen cooperation with China in Asia-Pacific regional affairs.

After the meeting, the two leaders witnessed the signing of the China-Canada agreement on investment protection.

On Sunday, Hu also joined Chilean President Sebastian Pinera to witness the signing of a supplementary agreement on investment under the China-Chile Free Trade Agreement, which was signed in November 2005.

The investment agreement includes 30 items and five appendices, covering issues related to the promotion and protection of investment between China and Chile.