Canada sides with China on cooperation in Arctic

Amid tension with China caused by the arrest of Huawei's chief financial officer last December, Canada dispatched a senior parliamentarian to Shanghai, bearing a message that Canada remains ready to partner with China at least when it comes to Northern affairs, Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail reported on Friday.

Canada welcomes the chance to work with China in the Arctic, the country's Liberal MP Andrew Leslie said at the Arctic Circle China Forum held in Shanghai on Friday.

Before attending the largest pan-Arctic gathering ever staged in China, Leslie just stepped down as parliamentary secretary to the minister of foreign affairs on May 1.

It is increasingly important for Canada to engage with those … not so close to the Arctic who wish to work with us in areas of common interest, he was quoted by the report.

He said that the two countries could collaborate in areas including science, shipping, and marine policy.

Canada welcomes the opportunity for further productive co-operation with China, he said.

China hopes to consolidate and expand the partnership with countries along the Arctic Circle, promote cultural and economic exchanges and build a Silk Road on Ice for the better future for the Arctic, Wang Hong, chief of the State Oceanic Administration, said at the forum, according to Xinhua.

The forum, themed as China and the Arctic, attracted attendees of 500 diplomats, scholars and entrepreneurs from countries and regions including China, Iceland, the U.S., Canada, the European Union, Norway, Sweden, Poland, Japan, the Republic of Korea and India, as well as representatives of Arctic aborigines.

(CGTN)