BADALING, CHINA – Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his wife Laureen visit the Great Wall of China. PMO photo by Jason Ransom
BEIJING, CHINA – Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his wife Laureen are greeted by Wen Jiabao, Premier of the People’s Republic of China, in the Great Hall of the People. PMO photo by Jason Ransom
PRIME MINISTER MEETS WITH PRESIDENT HU JINTAO
PRESIDENT HU JINTAO: (Speaking Mandarin)
INTERPRETER: Prime Minister Stephen Harper, it’s a great pleasure to see you again in Beijing just 20 days after our last meeting. First of all, let me welcome you on your official visit to Canada.
PRESIDENT HU JINTAO: (Speaking Mandarin)
INTERPRETER: This is your first visit to China as the Prime Minister of Canada, and that’s why this visit has great significance.
PRESIDENT HU JINTAO: (Speaking Mandarin)
INTERPRETER: I’m sure your visit will help both sides to deepen mutual understanding and expand practical cooperation, and take the friendly and a cooperative relationship between our two countries to a new level.
PRESIDENT HU JINTAO: (Speaking Mandarin)
INTERPRETER: Now I would like to invite you, Mr. Prime Minister, to speak.
PRIME MINISTER STEPHEN HARPER: Merci beaucoup Monsieur le Président Hu. C’est un désir, c’est mon désir de visiter la Chine depuis mon enfance, et c’est un grand honneur d’être ici aujourd’hui.
First of all, President Hu, thank you. I’ve been wanting to visit China since I was a small boy, and it’s a great honour to be here with you today.
INTERPRETER: (Speaking Mandarin)
PRIME MINISTER STEPHEN HARPER: We have a good and frank relationship. We have diplomatic relations which are now approaching their 40th year. We’ve accomplished much together, expanding trade and cooperation, and I’m sure that this visit will help further those objectives.
INTERPRETER: (Speaking Mandarin)
PRIME MINISTER STEPHEN HARPER: We’ve had many opportunities to meet at international fora, where I’ve always appreciated your candour and cooperative disposition, and I’m sure that this visit will help further those relations in the future, and I appreciate your hospitality, the hospitality of the Chinese people.
INTERPRETER: (Speaking Mandarin)
PM MEETS HIS EXCELLENCY WEN JIABAO
HIS EXCELLENCY WEN JIABAO: [Translated] Prime Minister Stephen Harper welcome to paying an official visit to China. This is your first trip to China and this is the first meeting between the Chinese Premier and the Canadian Prime Minister in almost five years. Five years is too long a time for China Canada relations and that is why there are comments in the media that your visit is one that should have taken place earlier.
I remember quoting a Chinese proverb when I gave a speech during my visit to Canada in 2003. The proverb reads, “Common visions and common ideals can bring people together in spite of the thousands of miles that sets them apart.” I expressed the hope that China and Canada will set an example of long term and friendly cooperation between countries different in social systems and level of development.
Mr Prime Minister, your visit this time has a great mission and a special significance. I am willing to have an in depth exchange of views with you on China Canada relations and major issues of common interest to deepen our mutual understanding and trust and take forward exchanges and cooperation between the two sides in various areas. We hope that through your visit the China Canada relationship will turn a new page.
RIGHT HONOURABLE STEPHEN HARPER: Thank you very much Premier Wen. First of all it’s a delight to be here for the first time and a real honour and pleasure to visit your country. I, as I said earlier, I saw the Great Wall this morning, which is something that I think probably everybody should see before they finish passing through this life and I look forward to seeing many more of the treasures of your country and meeting with the great Chinese people.
We have had diplomatic relations between our two countries for almost forty years which has witnessed tremendous growth in not just trade and investment but interaction of our peoples. I agree with you Premier that five years is a long time. It’s also been almost five years since we’ve had yourself or President Hu in our country, and so I hope as we approach this important milestone in our relationship, the forty year anniversary, that yourself or President Hu will also have the opportunity in the not too distant future to visit Canada.
