Good afternoon. Hello Everyone. Thank you all for joining us today. It’s a pleasure to be back in China and to have the opportunity to deepen the ties between our two countries. As you know, our visit is off to a productive start. Yesterday I met with Premier Li, and we had a chance to talk about issues of shared interest, beginning with trade. We look forward to continuing exploratory discussions towards a comprehensive trade agreement between Canada and China that will create jobs and new opportunities for middle class Canadians to succeed.

China may already be a popular destination for Canadian exports, but we know that the economic potential of trade between our two countries remains largely untapped. The Chinese market will soon be the largest in the world, with more than a billion potential customers for Canadian services and products. There are unprecedented opportunities for Canadians to break into and expand within the Chinese market.

As part of our discussions, we would also like all Canadians to reap the benefits of a closer trade relationship with China, not only entrepreneurs and businesses.

Canada may already be a popular destination… sorry... China may already be a popular destination for Canadian exports, but we know that the economic potential between our two countries remains largely untapped. The Chinese market will soon be the largest in the world with more than one billion potential customers for Canadian products and services. There are unprecedented opportunities for Canadians to either break into or expand within the Chinese market.

As we continue talks we also want to make sure that all Canadians benefit from a closer trading relationship with China, not just entrepreneurs. Done right, trade agreements can create more of the well-paying middle class jobs people needed on both sides of the Pacific, jobs that can help parents put food on the table, strengthen our communities, and grow our economy.

Canadians can rest assured that their government is committed to pursuing trade benefits… trade that benefits everyone and puts people first. Our goal is and always will be to strike agreements that are in line with our values; agreements that account for things like labour protection, environmental standards, and gender.

Increased cooperation on the economic front is only one of the ways in which China and Canada are becoming stronger partners. Premier Li and I also tackled… talked about the need for concerted action on a global scale as we tackle the challenges brought on by a changing climate. We stand united in our belief that growing the economy and protecting the environment must go hand in hand.

In that vein, we issued a joint statement outlining how our countries will work more closely together on climate change and clean growth, both on a bilateral basis and through international institutions. This is another positive step towards ensuring a cleaner, safer environment for our citizens and their children. We remain committed to uphold the global momentum on that front. China and Canada will also expand cooperation and increase ministerial dialogue to promote clean growth and combat climate change by fully implementing the Paris Agreement. Our shared concern for our environment will continue to be featured prominently in everything we do. Climate change is without a doubt one of the greatest challenges of our time, one we cannot and one we will not ignore.

Canada and China are not only long-standing partners but also good friends who continue to grow closer every day. What makes our relationship so special are the strong bonds between our citizens that unite our two countries. On this point, I am very much looking forward to celebrating the 2018 Canada-China year of tourism which will present an unprecedented opportunity for families on both sides of the Pacific to experience all that our communities have to offer.

Canada and China are not only historic partners but true friends who continue to grow closer every day. Indeed, what makes this relationship so special is the strong people-to-people ties that unite our countries. On that note, I'm very much looking forward to the 2018 Canada-China year of tourism which will present an unprecedented opportunity for families on both sides of the Pacific to experience everything our communities have to offer.

We’ve also agreed to cooperate on a wide range of other important issues from education and culture to agricultural exports and peacekeeping. There’s more, but I'm going to stop here because I know you have lots of questions for me.

Once again, thank you for joining us.