Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 16, 2026. (Photo: Xinhua)

BEIJING, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in Beijing on Friday.

Xi noted that their meeting in October last year in Gyeongju, Republic of Korea, opened a new phase of positive development in China-Canada relations, and both sides conducted in-depth discussions on restoring and resuming cooperation across various fields, and achieved positive outcomes.

The healthy and stable development of China-Canada relations is in the common interests of the two countries and also conducive to world peace, stability, development and prosperity, he added.

Xi called on China and Canada to advance the building of a new strategic partnership with a sense of responsibility toward history, the people and the world.

Both sides should promote China-Canada relations onto a path of healthy, stable and sustainable development to better benefit the peoples of both countries, Xi said.

Xi put forward four proposals regarding China-Canada relations. First, both countries should be partners of mutual respect. Over the past 55 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties, the bilateral relations have gone through ups and downs, offering valuable historical experience and practical insights.

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 16, 2026. (Photo: Xinhua)

He said that despite different national conditions, both countries should respect each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity, respect the political systems and development paths they have chosen respectively, and adhere to the correct way of getting along with each other.

Second, China and Canada should be partners in common development. The essence of China-Canada economic and trade relations is mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, with both sides benefiting from cooperation. China's high-quality development and high-level opening up will continue to provide new opportunities and expand new space for China-Canada cooperation.

Xi called on both sides to increase efforts to promote cooperation and reduce the negative list, thereby strengthening the bond of shared interests through deeper and broader cooperation.

Third, the two countries should be partners of mutual trust. Noting that people-to-people connectivity is the most fundamental, solid and lasting form of interconnection, Xi urged both sides to encourage exchanges and cooperation in education, culture, tourism, sports and sub-national areas, facilitate personnel exchanges and consolidate the popular will foundation.

Fourth, China and Canada should be partners in collaboration. A divided world cannot address the common challenges facing humanity. The solution lies in upholding and practicing true multilateralism and promoting the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.

China is willing to enhance communication and coordination with Canada within the frameworks of the United Nations, the G20 and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation to jointly address global challenges, Xi said.

Carney noted that with a long history of friendly engagement and strong economic complementarity, Canada and China enjoy extensive common interests and opportunities.

Canada wishes to build with China a new strategic partnership that is strong and enduring so as to deliver greater benefits to the two peoples, Carney said.

The Canadian side reaffirms its adherence to the one-China policy and its commitment to working with China in the spirit of mutual respect and partnership to expand and strengthen cooperation in economy and trade, energy, agriculture, finance, education, climate change, and others, he said.

Carney said multilateralism underpins global security and stability, and the Global Governance Initiative put forward by President Xi is important.

Facing a fast-changing and turbulent world, Canada would like to intensify multilateral coordination with China to uphold multilateralism and the authority of the UN and to promote international peace and stability, he added.

During Carney's visit, both sides issued a joint statement of the China-Canada leaders' meeting, and signed multiple cooperation documents covering trade, customs, energy, construction, culture, and public security.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang held talks with Carney on Thursday. Li said China welcomes more Canadian companies to invest in China and hopes that Canada will provide a fair and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese enterprises investing in the country.

Wang Wen, dean of Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at the Renmin University of China, said the new Canadian government's endeavor to mend bilateral ties reflects the pragmatic and rational approach of its new leadership.

Restoring stable bilateral relations will not only enhance political mutual trust but also bring exchanges in economy, trade, culture and other fields back on track, benefiting the people of both countries, Wang said.