President Hu Jintao returned to Beijing Sunday afternoon after paying state visits to Canada and Mexico and attending the United Nations (UN) summit marking the 60th anniversary of the world body in New York.

Hu on Saturday stressed China's desire for increased trade with Canada on a visit to Vancouver.

He made the pledge at a luncheon hosted by Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin, after which Hu and his entourage finished the 10-day North American trip.

Both sides repeated their determination to increase bilateral trade and investment, particularly in energy, natural resources, nuclear power and technology.

Hu recognized the western Canadian province of British Columbia as an economic gateway to the Asia-Pacific region and said the other western provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan possessed great energy and agricultural potential that China hoped to tap.

"I am satisfied with the achievement of the robust China-Canada co-operation," Hu said. "This move meets the needs and the times of our peoples."

Hu's arrival in Vancouver was part of a cross-Canada trip, the first phase of which began on September 8, to meet with Martin and raise the China-Canada relationship from a partnership of all-round co-operation mapped out in 1997 to a strategic partnership.

"Our new partnership is ripe with potential and will yield great benefits for both our countries," Martin said in the luncheon.

Hu vowed that China and Canada should increase two-way trade to more than US$30 billion by 2010.

It was reported last year that trade with Canada accounted for just 1.3 per cent of China's total trade while Chinese trade made up only 2.6 per cent of Canada's total exports and imports.

Source: China Daily