On May 29, 2026 local time, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with former Prime Minister Jean Chretien of Canada in Ottawa.

Wang Yi conveyed the warm greetings of Chinese leaders, stating that Jean Chretien is a senior statesman with strategic vision and an old friend of the Chinese people. During his tenure as Prime Minister, Jean Chretien initiated the “golden decade” of China-Canada relations, and has since consistently worked for the cause of China-Canada friendship, which the Chinese side has always kept firmly in mind. The improvement in China-Canada relations meets the aspirations of both peoples, and the two countries can absolutely become partners that help each other succeed and achieve common development. China looks forward to working with Canada to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state and jointly advance the China-Canada new Strategic Partnership.

Jean Chretien asked Wang Yi to convey his sincere greetings to the Chinese leaders. He fondly recalled his multiple visits to China and spoke highly of the positive development in current Canada-China relations. Jean Chretien stated that back in 1993, when he first became Prime Minister of Canada, he believed that the future of the world lay in the Asia-Pacific region, and the key to the Asia-Pacific was China. China has undergone earth-shaking changes and its international status has become even more significant. The economies of Canada and China are highly complementary, and the prospects for bilateral relations are broad. He expressed his willingness to make contributions to friendly exchanges between the two countries.

Also on May 29, Wang Yi held a collective meeting with former Canadian Senator Victor Oh, and Senator and Co-Chair of the Canada-China Legislative Association  Clément Gignac.