Chinese, Canadian FMs Hold Talks

The foreign ministers of China and Canada held talks Saturday, recalling the achievements seen in their 30-year diplomatic relationship.

Tang Jiaxuan told his visiting Canadian counterpart Lloyd Axworthy that two-way cooperation in politics, economy, science and technology, education and culture has been successful in the past three decades.

Sino-Canadian relationship has witnessed accelerated development in recent years, he stressed.

Tang added that the consensus reached between both state leaders during Chinese President Jiang Zemin's visit to Canada in 1997 to form a comprehensive cooperative partnership oriented

toward the 21st century has laid a solid foundation for the development of bilateral relations in the new century.

China hopes to continue to work with Canada and push their overall cooperative partnership to a new high in the new century, on the basis of mutual-respect, equality and mutual-benefit and seeking similarity while reserving differences.

Axworthy said the Canadian government attaches importance to developing friendly ties with China and will push bilateral relations forward.

Tang also briefed Axworthy on China's principled stand on the Taiwan issue. Axworthy reiterated that the Canadian government will continue to follow the One-China policy and will never develop official ties with Taiwan.

Axworthy arrived last night at Tang's invitation.



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