Ties with Canada 'to thaw'

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will start what his country's media says is his "most important foreign visit" when he arrives in China today.

Harper is hoping to reenergize stagnated ties with Beijing and inject vitality into the Canadian economy.

Chinese experts said that, despite the shadow cast by Ottawa's high duty on Chinese steel imports, the visit is likely to show Canadian goodwill and could be a turning point in the relationship between the countries.