Canada is preparing to host the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday (local time) for the first bilateral visit by a Chinese foreign minister in ten years, marking an effort towards stabilisation of ties between Ottawa and Beijing.
In a post on X, Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand said, “Tomorrow, I will have the pleasure of welcoming my Chinese counterpart, Minister Wang Yi, on the occasion of the first visit to Canada by a Chinese Foreign Minister in ten years.”
According to the May 28 press release, Anita Anand is set to have a bilateral meeting on May 29 (Friday) with the Chinese Foreign Minister.
The release said, “The Honourable Anita Anand, Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, will have a bilateral meeting with His Excellency Wang Yi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China.”
According to an earlier May 22 press release from Global Affairs Canada attached to the X post, the statement noted that Wang, who also serves as Director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission of China, will engage in discussions aimed at advancing “concrete cooperation and the implementation of the updated Canada-China Strategic Partnership,” including trade, investment, global security, and other bilateral issues.
The Canadian government emphasised the depth of ties between the two countries, stating, “Strong interpersonal ties unite Canada and China. More than 1.7 million Canadian residents are of Chinese origin. Ongoing tourism and cultural exchanges enrich bilateral relations.”
It also highlighted the economic relationship, noting that, “China remains an important trading market for Canadian companies, with merchandise exports reaching USD 34.4 billion in 2025, an increase of 14.7 per cent compared to 2024. Overall, bilateral merchandise trade amounted to USD 125.1 billion in 2025, representing an increase of 5.2 per cent compared to 2024.”
The release further pointed to recent high-level exchanges, including a January 2026 visit to Beijing by Prime Minister Mark Carney and Foreign Minister Anita Anand, during which Canada announced an updated strategic partnership with China. It noted, “This was the first visit by a Canadian prime minister to China since 2017.”
According to the Global Times, at a regular press briefing last week, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun also commented on the visit ahead of Wang’s arrival. He said Wang would focus on implementing “the important common understandings at the leadership level and the outcomes of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s recent China visit in January.”
He added that the two sides would also discuss “how to build a truly substantive China-Canada new strategic partnership, as well as international and regional issues of mutual interest.”
Guo expressed optimism about the outcome of the talks and said, “It is our hope that through this visit, the two sides could enhance political mutual trust, expand mutually-beneficial cooperation, properly manage differences, and ensure that bilateral ties will continue to move forward on the track of sound, steady, and sustainable development to deliver more benefits to both peoples.” (ANI)
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