Archives - Paul Martin

January 20, 2005

The Prime Minister of Canada, the Right Honourable Paul Martin, and the Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, His Excellency Wen Jiabao, today held bilateral discussions in Beijing.

These discussions have further cemented the relationship between our countriesBa mature relationship based on friendship and mutual respect, and one which has brought substantial benefits and increased prosperity for citizens of both our countries.

Canada and China extend deepest condolences to the people of the affected countries for the tragic loss of life and damage to communities as a result of the earthquake and tsunami of December 26. The Leaders express their continuing commitment to assist these countries to fully recover from the catastrophic effects of the disaster.

The two sides agree that in recent years, through their concerted efforts, China-Canada relations have developed soundly and with increased momentum, featuring frequent high-level exchanges, broad people-to people contacts at the local level and noteworthy cooperation in various fields. Canada and China are convinced that the steady deepening and enrichment of their all-round cooperative partnership is in keeping with the fundamental interests of the two countries and their peoples and is conducive to the maintenance of regional and global peace and stability. The two sides commit to taking their bilateral relations to a new level on the basis of the principles of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity and non-interference in each other’s internal affairs.

Today, we commit to taking this relationship to a new level by focussing our efforts strategically in areas of greatest mutual advantage. We have agreed upon a framework for the activities of a Strategic Working Group that seeks to identify and develop new paths for broadening our relationship and have agreed that the work of this group will initially focus on enhancing our partnership in the fields of multilateral cooperation, natural resources and energy (such as scientific exchanges and policy dialogue), and trade and investment.

Global Security and Multilateral Cooperation

Canada and China share the view that the United Nations and other multilateral institutions have an essential role to play in the development of a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world. In support of these goals, we agree to undertake regular consultations under the aegis of the United Nations and other multilateral institutions.

We recognize that the world we live in today is vastly more complex than ever before, and as such we must develop new tools and approaches to successfully address evolving global issues. These can only be addressed by a broad representation of world leaders that can collectively speak for large segments of the world population, whose challenges must be met to assure global stability and prosperity. The two sides believe that a meeting of G20 leaders will promote dialogue and collaboration among various parties in an effort to jointly deal with global problems. The two sides will maintain close contact and cooperation on furthering this initiative.

We reaffirm our common interest in a secure and stable Asia Pacific region. We agree to work together for the continued development of the ASEAN Regional Forum, which is an important multilateral forum for political and security dialogue in the region.

We reaffirm our commitments towards the APEC vision of achieving sustainable and equitable growth and reducing economic disparities for the well being of people in the region. We agree to strengthen our partnership in the areas of trade and investment liberalization and facilitation as well as economic and technical cooperation. We also resolve to work together within APEC to enhance the security of our people.

Canada and China affirm their commitment to a nuclear weapon-free Korean Peninsula, and express their support for a peaceful multilateral solution to the nuclear issue on the Korean peninsula through the Six Party Talks. Canada and China will advance non-proliferation, arms control and disarmament objectives by supporting and strengthening the international treaty system and multilateral regimes and will continue to cooperate in the fight against terrorism and transnational organized crime on the basis of the United Nations and its Charter and agreed standards and institutions.

China reaffirms that there is only one China in the world, that the government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government to represent all of China, and that Taiwan is an inseparable part of Chinese territory. Canada reaffirms its adherence to its One China policy and is opposed to any unilateral action by any party aimed at changing Taiwan’s status and escalating tensions which would have an impact on the political stability and prosperity of East Asia.

We reaffirm the growing threat posed by global diseases and the need to improve our capacity, as required by the UN General Assembly Resolution entitled “Enhancing Capacity Building in Global Public Health”, to manage public health risks, including the ongoing spread of HIV/AIDS and the emergence of new communicable diseases such as SARS and avian flu. Sharing information in a timely manner and coordinating our national efforts will contribute to prevent the spread of these diseases which affect global public health.

We exchanged views on the question of human rights and the fundamental importance of respecting and protecting these rights. We highly value the annual bilateral human rights dialogue held between Canada and China, which contributes to a greater mutual understanding of human rights issues. Both sides express support for the broadening and expansion of dialogues and exchanges in the field of human rights.

Prosperity and Sustainable Growth

Canada and China are committed to strengthening growth and reducing poverty through policies designed to expand trade, investment and innovation in an increasingly integrated global economy. As WTO members and major trading nations, such a rules-based multilateral trading system is vital for our prosperity. We will therefore cooperate closely in preparation for the WTO Ministerial meeting in Hong Kong later this year to promote the early and successful completion of the Doha Development Agenda. China’s accession to the WTO has brought unprecedented opportunities for cooperation between enterprises in both countries. We will also strengthen our cooperation through an ambitious program of technical assistance, to support China’s full and active participation in the WTO.

Our bilateral economic relationship is strong. Trade and investment are growing rapidly and show bright prospects. As outlined in the Common Paper of the Strategic Working Group, we have agreed to further strengthen that relationship through a series of concrete initiatives designed to support the continued expansion of Canada China partnerships in trade, investment and innovation, in a wide range of sectors.

In light of our shared commitment to sustainable development and balanced growth, we resolve to address the problem of global warming. The Memorandum of Understanding on Clean Development Mechanism Projects is one important bilateral tool we possess to achieve this goal. We will also enhance our existing climate change co operation in the various fields of activities identified by our bilateral working group.

People to People Ties

We welcome the growing people to people links between our two countries and the signature, today, of a new framework for cooperation on culture. Cultural exchanges are an important means to promote mutual understanding between our two countries and we look forward to the rapid growth and increased diversity in these exchanges. We welcome the upcoming Olympic games in Beijing in 2008 and Vancouver in 2010 and expect that the games will provide the venues for further enhanced exchanges of people and national treasures.