State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan met in Beijing Thursday with Andre Desmarais, honorary chairman of Canada-China Business Council (CCBC), and his party.

Tang told Desmarais, who is also president and CEO of Power Corporation of Canada, that President Hu Jintao's visit to Canada has been quite fruitful. The two state leaders agreed to upgrade Sino-Canadian relations to a strategic partnership, which will greatly push forward the semantic significance of bilateral ties.

Tang said Desmarais and the CCBC have made concerted efforts over the years to promote Sino-Canadian ties, especially bilateral trade cooperation. He expressed the hope that they will make an even greater contribution to promote Sino-Canadian relations in the future.

(Xinhua News Agency September 23, 2005)