Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to Brooke Unger, Americas editor of The Economist, at the 2016 Canada Summit on Wednesday in Toronto. NA LI / CHINA DAILY

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau applauded his country's long and constructive relationship with China at The Economist's 2016 Canada Summit on Wednesday in Toronto.

"We have both looked at the economic opportunities through the decades. Canada wants China to succeed on the world stage," said Trudeau, whose late father Pierre first established diplomatic relations with Beijing 46 years ago when he was prime minister.

Justin Trudeau said China was to be congratulated for contributing hundreds of millions of people to the global middle class. "This is a significant achievement," he said.

The prime minister made the comments during an interview by Brooke Unger, Americas editor for The Economist.

China is Canada's second-largest trading partner, behind only the US, as two-way merchandise shipments totaled C$78 billion two years ago.

About 1.5 million of Canada's 35 million people are of Chinese descent, with Mandarin being the third most-spoken language after English and French.

The current Liberal government succeeded the Conservative government of Stephen Harper, which had stable and slightly improving relations with China and has moved to improve relations with Beijing.

China remembers Pierre Trudeau's outreach, according to President Xi Jinping, whom the younger Trudeau met on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in Turkey last November soon after becoming prime minister. Xi called the elder Trudeau a man of extraordinary political vision.

A Trudeau spokesman said a trade pact with China is being explored, and the prime minister has said he looks forward to continuing to engage with Chinese leaders and that "ties with China need to be improved".

Trudeau also has raised the prospect of a free trade agreement (FTA) with China, which had been revived following his meeting with Xi.