Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Canadian counterpart Mélanie Jolie that their countries should strengthen efforts to normalize relations and get back on the right track toward establishing a strategic partnership.
Wang told Jolie in Beijing that "China-Canada relations have experienced difficulties and fluctuations over the years, which China does not want to happen," the ministry said in a statement late Friday evening.
Bilateral relations, which were established in 1970, were marred by a stalemate after the arrest of Huawei's chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, in Canada in 2018 and then the arrest of two Canadians in China.
The three were later released, but mutual accusations of interference between the two countries in each other's affairs kept relations tense.
Wang told Jolie that there is no fundamental conflict of interest between Beijing and Ottawa, adding that maintaining and developing bilateral relations is in the interest of the two countries and the two peoples.
He added that the issues related to Taiwan, Tibet, Xinjiang and Hong Kong are related to China's internal policy and that Canada should not interfere.
The Chinese ministry quoted Jolie as saying that Canada will adhere to the "one China" policy and is willing to actively develop bilateral relations and enhance cooperation in areas such as trade, economy, tourism, climate change and drug control.
Wang and Jolie also exchanged views on the war in Ukraine and the escalation in Gaza.
The Canadian Intelligence Service concluded in April that China interfered in the 2019 and 2021 Canadian elections, prompting authorities to form a committee to investigate foreign interference.
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