Wang Yi to visit Canada for first time in 10 years

Wang Yi will travel to New York and chair a high-level meeting of the UN Security Council on May 26, the Foreign Ministry said on Friday, before visiting Canada in a first by the country's foreign minister in 10 years. In New York, he will meet UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and foreign ministers from other countries, the ministry said in a statement, without giving further details. Wang will then visit Canada from May 28 to 30 at the invitation of Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand, ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a regular press conference in Beijing. "China-Canada relations have turned around and continue to improve, and the two sides are working to build a new type of strategic partnership," Guo said. China hopes the visit will enhance political trust, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, manage differences and keep bilateral relations on a healthy, stable and sustainable track, he added. China and Canada struck a trade deal in January during Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's visit, cutting tariffs on electric vehicles and canola in a reset of strained ties. The New York leg of Wang's trip follows a summit last week between President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, which featured warm exchanges but yielded no major breakthrough on trade or the Iran conflict. Beijing has said Xi is expected to pay a state visit to the United States in the autumn. (Reuters) Edited by Tony Sabine