On January 21, Chinese Ambassador to Canada H. E. Wang Di conducted an exclusive interview with the Canadian Press, the largest Canadian news agency. The full transcript of the interview is as follows:

The Canadian Press: Mr. Carney is the first Canadian Prime Minister to visit China in so many years. This is a pretty historic visit. What’s your reflections on this visit?

Ambassador Wang: As you said, this is the first visit to China by a Canadian Prime Minister in the last 8 years. This visit is very important. Prime Minister Carney had a very important meeting with President Xi Jinping, talks with Premier Li Qiang and a meeting with Chairman Zhao Leji. During these talks and meetings, they have reached many important consensus and outcomes. Both sides have issued a Leaders’ Meeting Joint Statement and reached a roadmap for the economic and trade cooperation in the next steps. Both sides have also made preliminary joint arrangements on resolving the trade irritants and issued many joint documents on cooperation in a series of areas.

I think it is fair to say that President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Carney have charted the course for the future development of China-Canada relations. Right now, one of the most important tasks for us is to work with our Canadian colleagues to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, so that we can translate the important outcomes of this visit into reality as soon as possible and bring tangible benefits to the two peoples.

The Canadian Press: In China, things are very efficient. I saw it myself. You have a Five-Year Plan in terms of how things are executed. In Canada, we have elections that are changing quite fast. We have provincial industries that have all kinds of different factors that need the help of the U.S. I’m curious what your reflection is on the pace of putting these things to life, as we are talking about how much expectations you have that we can move things quickly as partners.    

Ambassador Wang: I think as long as China and Canada both have adequate sincerity, both sides will be able to translate the important outcomes into reality. There are a lot of complementarities and common interests between China and Canada. You have mentioned the 15th Five-Year Plan of China, and Canada also has many development plans for the future. What both sides should do is to enhance the synergy between our development plans to find areas of cooperation and joint projects that both sides can work on.  

History has proven very well that whenever China and Canada pull in the same direction towards the same goal, we have been able to achieve a lot. Today, as the world is facing increasing changes and challenges, China and Canada face common challenges as well as extensive common interests. Just as President Xi Jinping pointed out during his meeting with Prime Minister Carney, both China and Canada should jointly foster a new Strategic Partnership between our two countries with a sense of responsibility for the history, for the people and for the world. I have taken note that after Prime Minister Carney’s visit to China, people from both countries have had high remarks for the visit. Also they have very high expectations for the benefits that the outcomes of this visit could bring to them. I think currently the most important task for both sides is to respond as soon as possible to the expectations of the two peoples and to move along the direction that has been pointed out by the leaders of our two countries. I think there are a lot for us to expect as for the outcomes that we can achieve in our future cooperation.  

The Canadian Press: I’m curious that APEC is a target after that. Mr. Carney says he is going to pay a visit to the city of Shenzhen. Does that mean we are thinking of what can be achieved, what can get going, so that he is coming back to China with some deliverables?       

Ambassador Wang: Prime Minister Carney has expressed that he will be happy to attend the APEC meetings in China this year. I believe another meeting between the leaders of our two countries on such a platform will definitely bring more dynamism and vitality to the development of our bilateral relations. Now there are around ten months before APEC happens, so that requires us to lose no time and work faster to achieve more outcomes so that leaders of our two countries will be able to discuss future development of China-Canada relations at a higher level when they meet again. Apart from the meetings between the top leaders, the conversations between the two countries at various levels are also very important. During Prime Minister Carney’s visit to China, leaders from both countries have agreed to restart and resume the dialogue mechanisms between our two countries in different areas. As a matter of fact, many different departments of our two countries have expressed their interest and desire to enhance engagement and dialogues as soon as possible. I think China-Canada relations will move forward in a faster pace in the future.

The Canadian Press: I’m curious about our relationship with the U.S. Obviously, it’s very complicated. The narrative from Beijing is shared wins, focusing on positives and where we can work together. Before Carney came to China, we saw China Daily saying that we need sincerity to push into Canada's own policy and not just follow the U.S. If we just roll back to whatever the U.S. is doing, then you can't have a strong partnership with China. And when I look at the documents that came out, it seems like there was a way to look at it - these are the sectors we can cooperate in. Carney has said there's some sensitive sectors that he needs to hive off. Does that work for China to have deeper cooperation in these fields, and then for some of what Carney says, like national security, the United States’ concern, we're just going to leave this off to the side? Can you tell me is that the approach of China? Does that approach work, given the extent of this relationship?     

Ambassador Wang: I think the character of China-Canada relationship is win-win and mutual benefit. China and Canada are also highly complementary with each other. That is to say there is great potential and promising prospects for China and Canada to leverage our complementary advantages and realize mutual benefit. But of course, at the same time, we do not deny that there are differences between China and Canada.

During his visit to China, Prime Minister Carney has also expressed multiple times in a very good way how China and Canada should seek common ground while reserving the differences. He also mentioned that China and Canada should advance our cooperation on the basis of mutual respect. Mutual respect, seeking common ground while reserving differences and mutual benefit are the principles that China has followed all along in advancing its cooperation with Canada. As long as both sides stick to these principles, we will be able to deepen our mutual trust, seek greater common ground on the basis of understanding each other better and handle the differences between us in a more constructive manner. I am confident that the areas and the scope of our cooperation will be greater.

The Canadian Press: Greater than what we've agreed so far or just greater than what we have now? Or both?     

Ambassador Wang: Both.

The Canadian Press: I’m curious about autos. We've got a small amount of EVs that will be allowed in Canada. Carney said this is just the start. I'm wondering what you think the potential is in terms of technology exchange, the employment of Canada and Chinese investment? It's a very small number, especially compared with the scale of China, it is a tiny number. But what do you think is the potential of more cooperation in the auto sphere?     

Ambassador Wang: During the visit, Canada announced the adjustments to the restrictions on importing Chinese electric vehicles. China welcomes that. Canada also expressed its desire and hope to work with China in terms of industrial and investment cooperation in the area of EV. As I just mentioned, the character of China-Canada practical cooperation is complementary and mutually beneficial, so China encourages and supports Chinese companies to make investment here in Canada on the basis of the market rules. At the same time, we hope that the Canadian side will provide a fair, non-discriminatory and predictable business environment for the Chinese companies that come here to make investments. I hope that companies from both sides can seize the opportunity, enhance their engagement and coordination so that they can realize mutual benefit.

The Canadian Press: Do you have a message for the auto workers? We saw Ontario Premier Doug Ford coming up for concerns about their market, about Canadian jobs. Do you see a future where we might see Canadian and Chinese corporations work together in the developments of autos? We see things online about how efficient it is in China that you have cars built largely by robots, and it scares some people in Canada. They think they might lose all the jobs. I'm curious what your reflection is? Can we see more autoworker collaboration?     

Ambassador Wang: As I mentioned multiple times, China-Canada cooperation is conducted on the basis of mutual benefit and win-win. Unlike some other countries, China will not only take into consideration of its own interest. We don't want only we win and others lose. When China engages with other countries in cooperation, win-win is a very important target for us, because only win-win cooperation can last. If Chinese companies were to come to Canada to work with Canadian partners for investment, for opening factories or for joint ventures, all of these projects will be win-win and beneficial to the development of Canadian EV industry. It will be helpful for job growth in Canada and will help Canadian consumers to be able to buy high quality and more affordable cars. But as for how specifically the cooperation will be conducted, that depends on the outcomes of the friendly consultation between companies on both sides on the basis of market rules.

The Canadian Press: I’m also interested in the visa access. I know China has said multiple times that people should come to China and there is so much to see. I'm curious if you have any more details on when we'll see a change in the visa policy. Is this more of like a 30 day exemption, a 90 day exemption?      

Ambassador Wang: I did notice that Prime Minister Carney made it public that the Chinese side told him that China is actively considering giving unilateral visa-free treatment to the Canadian citizens. At this current stage, I do not have any additional information to provide. But I believe that if more facilitation is provided to people-to-people flow between our two countries, that will be good for the exchanges between our two peoples, because China's policy has always been supporting and encouraging people-to-people exchanges. You must have also noticed that not long ago, China has reinstated the approved status of Canada in terms of tour groups. While we encourage Chinese tourists to come here to travel in Canada, we also welcome and encourage Canadian tourists to go to China, because we believe the interactions between people and people are very important for both sides to understand each other better and to win more public support for the development of a better relationship between our two countries. As for what kind of visa policy China will provide to Canada, I think we need to be more patient.

The Canadian Press: I just wanted to clarify, your understanding is that this is a consideration of a unilateral switch, but it's not like a confirmed thing, like we don't know if the visa will switch, or we know there will be a change in visa, but we don't know exactly what that looks like.     

Ambassador Wang: My message is that in terms of what specific visa policy that will be, we need to wait for the official announcement of the Chinese side. I think you can look it up on the Internet, and China has already given visa-free treatment to 48 countries in the world, so you can do some comparisons.

The Canadian Press: I want to ask about Taiwan issue. I know it's a sensitive topic. I'm curious about what level of cooperation does the Chinese government see as productive? We have invested in Taiwan, and we have people-to-people ties. I believe Canadian Foreign Minister has been very clear that we still have a one-China policy. What’s being said right now when it comes to Taiwan is that people believe their current engagement is appropriate for Canada and Taiwan. Or does Beijing want to see a change in the way we talk about this and the level of engagement with Taiwan?     

Ambassador Wang: The one-China Principle is a basic norm of the international relations as well as a universal consensus of the International Community. It is also a very important political foundation for China to develop diplomatic relations with all the other countries, including Canada. Since day one of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Canada, the Canadian government has unequivocally committed to following the one-China policy. During his visit, Prime Minister Carney also expressed explicitly many times in Beijing that Canada will continue to observe the one-China policy. We appreciate that.

What is one China? What’s the definition of one China? One China means that there is only one China in the world, Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory and the government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government that represents the whole of China. There is no room for ambiguity in one China, and one China is just one China. Any country that has diplomatic ties with the People's Republic of China must observe the one-China policy or principle and never engage with Taiwan in any official interactions. On this point, China's position is very very clear and this requirement applies to all the countries that have diplomatic ties with China, and all the countries that have diplomatic ties with China are expected to observe the one-China principle. In China, we often say that a gentleman must honour his own words with his actions, so we hope that Canada can earnestly honour its political commitments.

The Canadian Press: I know there are concerns about the exercises in the Taiwan Strait, but aside from that I think it sounds like the concern is not so much about economic ties that happen, people-to-people exchanges, but the official recognition.     

Ambassador Wang: We don't oppose unofficial activities and non-official economic and people-to-people exchanges, but what we oppose is using economic and people- to-people exchanges as a pretext to engage in official activities.

The Canadian Press: I just want to ask about the Arctic. We saw President Xi and Prime Minister Carney's similar views on Greenland. That's obviously a very hot topic right now. China talks about being a near-Arctic state. Canada has some concerns about that. They kept it a little bit out of the joint statement. How would you describe what China’s policies are for the Arctic?     

Ambassador Wang: We believe that the Arctic region is a region that concerns the interests of all the world. Chinese activities in the Arctic region only have one goal, that is to promote the development of this region and to uphold the stability and peace of this region. We also agree that the peace and development of the Arctic region is of great significance for the people of all over the world. So of course we are also following closely what is happening in and related to Greenland. Prime Minister Carney also said that he had in-depth exchanges on this topic with President Xi, and they see eye to eye on this topic.

China's consistent policy is to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries. That goes to Greenland, that goes to Canada, and that goes to all the other countries. I think countries all over the world are clear on China's position in this regard. Our consistent position is that we need to uphold the UN-centered international system, the international order underpinned by international law, and the norms of international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. We think it is not acceptable to selectively apply the international law, the UN system, or the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.

I think on this point, China and Canada have many similar positions. China and Canada both uphold multilateralism, free trade, and the international trading regime based on rules. China is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with Canada on improving global governance, so as to jointly safeguard the international fairness and justice and build together a more equitable and fairer international order.

The Canadian Press: It's interesting to me, it echoes what the Prime Minister said yesterday, we haven't always followed it, we talked about the rules, we've been selective about it, trying to say we should all follow the rules.     

Ambassador Wang: Yeah, China's position on the so-called double standards and the law of the jungle has been clear and consistent for many years. China's position is also very clear on the rhetoric about the “51st state”. I have taken note of Prime Minister's speech at Davos yesterday, so I think it is more necessary for China and Canada to strengthen coordination and communication on the multilateral affairs and on issues concerning international fairness, international justice and order.

The Canadian Press: I'm curious about Foreign Minister Wang, who is going to visit Canada this year. Do you have any sense of when? Do you know the purpose of the visit?     

Ambassador Wang: During Prime Minister Carney's visit to Beijing, Foreign Minister Anand also had a very good conversation with Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Foreign Minister Anand extended an invitation again to Foreign Minister Wang to visit Canada, and Foreign Minister Wang also accepted that invitation with pleasure. But as for specifically when, we need to talk about it to reach a mutually convenient time. But of course, if Foreign Minister Wang is to come here, his most important purpose would be to push for the implementation of the important outcomes and consensus of the leaders. And of course, he will be engaging with Foreign Minister Anand on the bilateral relationship and on the regional and international issues that both sides are interested in.

The Canadian Press: A lot of stuff in the agreements, I'm just wondering if there's anything for things to be moved on fast, because it seems like China did move pretty fast, but we look at agriculture, there's been some movement. I guess I'm just wondering what you see as the easy things to do quickly. Some of these are long-term and multi-year. But in the short-term, is there anything in any of these agreements that you think we should expect quick action on?     

Ambassador Wang: This time both countries signed a lot of cooperation documents which cover a lot of areas. It is fair to say that the outcome of Prime Minister Carney's visit to Beijing is fruitful. We expect that these outcomes will definitely bring tangible benefits to the two peoples. Now departments from both sides are engaging with each other and coordinating with each other at a faster pace to finalize some of the details and to identify some of the action plans to work hard to bring those agreements into reality. I believe that very soon you will be able to see the tangible benefits that are brought by these cooperation documents.

The Canadian Press: The last thing I thought I could ask about is the Indo-Pacific Strategy. Foreign Minister Anand has said that she wants a review of it and she said it doesn't fit the current partnership that we have with China or with India. We don't have a sense of when we might get a new update, but do you have any advice for Canada other than all of these documents we've just put out? Do you have any advice for our Indo-Pacific Strategy?     

Ambassador Wang: The Indo-Pacific strategy is not a Chinese strategy, it is a Canadian strategy. I think this question should be posed to Global Affairs. I think you also know this very well, since day one of the release of this strategy, China has serious concerns about it. That is not only China’s concern. I think many other Asia-Pacific countries also have serious concerns about the so-called Indo-Pacific strategy.

I am very pleased to see that during Prime Minister Carney's visit this time, both sides have made it clear that we are going to build a new Strategic Partnership between China and Canada. I have also taken note that Foreign Minister Anand has said that now Canada has a new government with a new policy in a new era. If I was going to answer this question, my answer would be that the Indo-Pacific Strategy is inconsistent with this new Strategic Partnership, with the new era that we are in, and with the policy that the Canadian government is having. I suggest that you could express your concerns to Global Affairs.

The Canadian Press: Is there anything you wanted to share with Canadians, anything that we can talk about with Canadians to know or to reflect on?     

Ambassador Wang: I must say that Prime Minister Carney's visit to China is like a milestone. If we could say that a turnaround was achieved during the meeting between Prime Minister Carney and President Xi Jinping in October last year in Gyeongju, Republic of Korea, the visit this time has already shown that China-Canada relationship has now entered a new era. That is a new era of both sides working together to foster a new Strategic Partnership. We look forward to working together with the Canadian side in the same direction to build a good new Strategic Partnership to bring more tangible benefits in the new era to the two peoples. I am confident that as long as both sides stick to the principle of mutual respect, seeking common ground while reserving differences and pursuing mutual benefit, we will be able to build a good new Strategic Partnership in this new era. There is a lot to expect for the future of China-Canada relations. In this process, I also look forward to continuing to having support from all sectors in Canada. Thank you!