Visiting President Hu Jintao
met some members of the Senate and the House of Commons of Canada
in Ottawa on Friday afternoon.
Hu briefed them on China's progress, the development of
Sino-Canadian relations in the past 35 years, the achievements of
his current visit, and China's position on the Taiwan question and
UN reforms.
He expressed the hope that legislatures of the two countries
will continue working for exchanges and cooperation between the two
countries.
There is only one China in the world and Taiwan is an
inalienable part of the country, said Hu.
The one-China policy has been commonly accepted by the
international community including Canada, he said, adding that it
is also an important basis for the smooth development of the
Sino-Canadian relations.
He hoped that the Canadian government and parliament will stick
to the one-China policy and properly handle the Taiwan question in
a bid to ensure a sound and stable development of the Sino-Canadian
ties.
The parliamentarians expressed their willingness to further
increase exchanges with their Chinese counterparts to enhance
mutual understanding.
China and Canada agreed in Ottawa Friday morning on building a
strategic partnership aimed at promoting the long-term and steady
development of bilateral relations.
The agreement on raising China-Canada relationship from a
partnership of all-around cooperation forged in 1997 to a strategic
partnership was reached between Hu and Canadian Prime Minister Paul
Martin during their two-hour talks.
Hu and Martin also witnessed the signing of a series of
cooperation documents between the two countries concerning air
transportation, railways, food security, quarantine, nuclear energy
and health research.
Hu arrived in Ottawa Thursday morning on a state visit as guest
of Canadian Governor General Adrienne Clarkson.
This is the first visit to Canada by a Chinese head of state in
eight years.
Hu is also scheduled to pay a state visit to Mexico and attend a
UN summit to be held in New York from September 14 to 16.
(Xinhua News Agency September 11, 2005)
