China, Canada need ‘political trust’ to build stable trade ties, Xi Jinping tells Justin Trudeau
Two countries must respect differences in political systems, Chinese leader quoted as saying by state media
China and Canada should seek to build “political mutual trust” Chinese President Xi Jinping told visiting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Beijing on Tuesday, describing it as the foundation for stable bilateral ties, according to state media.
The countries’ efforts to boost trade links have been overshadowed by political differences on issues such as human rights, but Xi was quoted by state broadcaster CCTV as saying that China’s development path must be decided by the Chinese people, and that the two sides should respect each other’s political systems.
Neither side has announced plans for formal talks on a bilateral free-trade deal, despite hopes being high that such an agreement might be reached during Trudeau’s second visit to China amid the uncertainty over Canada’s renegotiations of the North American Free Trade Agreement with the United States.
Such a deal would also represent a win for China as it would be its first with a G7 country. The Asian giant is keen to promote itself as the new champion of free trade and globalisation amid the US’ increasingly protectionist stance, and despite the fact that Beijing has been frequently criticised by foreign businesses over a lack of market access.
Following his meeting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Monday, Trudeau said that “any possible trade deal with China will need to reflect the values and priorities of Canadians” in the areas of labour rights, environmental protection and gender equality. That approach runs against China’s inclination to keep such issues separate and avoid links to human rights or civil liberties.
