Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, at a luncheon held here by the Canada-China Business Council on  Thursday, spoke highly of China-Canada friendship and trade and  economic relations, voicing hope for further promoting cooperation with the North American country.

ACHIEVEMENTS IN BILATERAL TRADE, ECONOMIC COOPERATION

Wen, who arrived here Wednesday evening for a two-day official  visit to Canada at the invitation of Canadian Prime Minister Jean  Chretien, described the establishment of the diplomatic relations  between China and Canada in 1970 as "opening up a new page in the  annals of bilateral exchanges."

"The past 33 years have witnessed an ever-growing bond of  friendship and cooperation between China and Canada," Wen said,  highlighting that "the deepening economic partnership has become a key component of and important driving force for China-Canada  relations."

 He pointed out that the two-way trade volume between China and  Canada last year reached 8 billion US dollars, up almost 50 times  over 1970. China is now Canada's third largest trading partner  while Canada ranks the 10th among China's trading partners.

"Facts have fully proved that trade and economic cooperation  has delivered tangible benefits to both Chinese and Canadians,"  Wen said.

 He noted that more and more Canadian firms have settled down in China while more Chinese enterprises are being attracted to Canada by its sound investment environment.

Currently, there are 6,740 Canadian-funded projects in China  with a total paid-in investment of 3.8 billion dollars, the  premier added.

He also mentioned that the Qinshan Phase III Nuclear Power  Plant has been exemplary of mutually beneficial cooperation.

The construction of the third phase of the nuclear power plant, located in east China's Zhejiang Province, was completed earlier  this year in cooperation with the Candu Technology corporation of  Canada. Two 700,000-kw Candu (Canadian Deuterium Uranium Reactor)  generating units imported from Canada were installed in the  reactor. The plant, with a generating capacity of 1.456 million  kilowatts, has gone into operation.

China and Canada enjoy a solid foundation and broad prospect  for economic cooperation and "the two governments and two peoples  share a strong desire and enthusiasm for closer economic  partnership between the two countries," he said.

CHINA'S GRAND GOAL OF DOMESTIC ECONOMIC, SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

Noting that China is a developing country with a large  population and a vulnerable economic foundation, Wen stressed that economic development and prosperity will continue to be the  primary target of the Chinese government.

China is determined to "build a well-off society in an all- round way during the first two decades of this century," he said.

He reaffirmed that the Chinese government will "continue to  place the interests of our people above anything else," and manage to balance "the development in both urban and rural areas, the  development among different regions, and the development between  the economic and social undertakings."

The premier said China will deepen its ongoing economic reform  and improve its system of a socialist market economy by way of  giving "greater play to the basic role of the market in the  allocation of resources, lending powerful impetus to the rapid and sound development of the national economy."

China will make efforts in implementing the open-up policy by " building a more open economic system," he added.

Referring to the implementation of trade rules of the World  Trade Organization (WTO), Wen said China will fully honor its WTO  commitments.

Two years after China entered the WTO in November 2001, China  has revised or amended nearly 3,000 laws and sets of  administrative regulations, increased transparency of policies,  laws and administrative regulations, stepped up legislation and  law enforcement for intellectual property rights protection, and  made its service market more accessible, said the Chinese premier.

PROSPECT FOR FUTURE COOPERATION BETWEEN CHINA, CANADA

Stating that "China-Canada trade and economic cooperation is  making solid headway," Wen promised that China would make joint  efforts with Canada to further promote trade and economic  cooperation between the two countries.

The new team of the Chinese leaders attaches great importance  to China-Canada relations and looks forward to working together  with the new Canadian leadership headed by incoming Prime Minister Paul Martin "in cultivating a richer and more substantive  partnership of all-round cooperation between the two countries,"  Wen said.

"Our stronger ties of trade and economic partnership not only  serve the fundamental interests of our two countries, but  contribute to peace and development in the Asia-Pacific region and the world at large," he noted.

Wen listed four areas in which the two countries should work  together to bring their economic partnership to a higher level.

First, the volume of two-way trade should be increased and  China hopes that bilateral trade would be doubled by 2010, the  Chinese premier said.

While China is expected to import over 1 trillion dollars worth of goods in the next three years, it wants to import more from  Canada, especially "more telecommunications equipment and other hi- tech products."

At the same time, Wen said, China hopes that Canada would  continue to import textiles and other light-industrial products  from China while increasing purchases of China's machinery,  household appliances and other products.

Second, the two countries should expand investment cooperation  in such fields as energy, transportation, telecommunications,  environmental protection, agriculture, biology, raw materials,  finance and insurance, and the two countries should also diversify the means of cooperation, said the Chinese premier.

Third, interactions between the business communities of the two countries should be strengthened.

Canadian entrepreneurs are welcome to participate in the  development of China's western region, the overhaul and revamping  of China's Northeast and other old industrial bases, as well as  the renovation and reorganization of China's state-owned  enterprises, Wen said, adding that Chinese entrepreneurs are also  encouraged to invest and seek business expansion in Canada.

Fourth, the two countries should promote exchanges in science,  technology, education, human resources and culture, Wen said.   Enditem nnnn 

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