Dec 3, 2009, 12:02 GMT
Beijing - Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper held talks with Chinese leaders on Thursday as the two sides signed four agreements and played down a recent spat over Canada's anti-dumping duty on Chinese steel imports.
Chinese premier Wen Jiabao hosted a guard of honour and an official welcome ceremony for the first visit to China by a Canadian premier for five years.
'Five years is too long for a relationship like ours, and that's why there have been comments in the media that this should have taken place earlier,' Wen told Harper, who took office in 2006, at Beijing's Great Hall of the People.
'I hope our two countries will set an example for long-term and friendly cooperation between countries different in social systems and stages of development,' he said.
Wen said Harper's visit was of 'special significance' and could help bilateral relations to 'turn a new page.'
After closed talks, Wen and Harper attended the signing of cooperation agreements on climate change, mineral resources, culture, and science and technology.
At an earlier meeting with President Hu Jintao, Harper said the two nations had a 'good, frank relationship' and he expected his five-day visit to help expand trade and cooperation.
On Tuesday, China's Foreign Ministry criticised Canada's imposition of a preliminary duty of up to 182 per cent on Chinese steel imports, and Chinese experts said the move could harm ties.
The official China Daily newspaper quoted Zhu Feng, an international relations expert at Beijing University, as saying Harper's visit came at a 'bad time' with the new steel duty 'casting a shadow' over the talks.
Diplomatic ties cooled in October 2007, when Harper became the first Canadian prime minister to hold a formal meeting with the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader, who is accused by China of promoting Tibetan independence.
Canada also voiced strong criticism of China's human rights record in the run-up to last year's Olympic Games in Beijing, and Harper was one of the few Western leaders not to attend the event.
But China Daily said some Chinese experts expected Canada to try to improve relations this week, after the Canadian government was 'driven by criticism from Canadian business people seeking opportunities in China' amid the downturn in the US economy.
China's bilateral trade with Canada reached a record 34.5 billion dollars last year, the government said.
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