Wei Chang meets with Marie-Andree Levesque in Fuzhou, Fujian province. [Photo/Foreign Affairs Office of the People's Government of Fujian Province]

Wei Chang, director-general of the Foreign Affairs Office of the People's Government of Fujian Province, met with Marie-Andree Levesque, Canadian consul general in Guangzhou, on Nov 2 in Fuzhou, Fujian province, to discuss ways to expand cooperation.

Wei briefed Levesque on the province's economic and social development. She said Fujian was committed to advancing high-quality development and expanding high-level opening-up as part of China's modernization drive.

Fujian and Canada's Nova Scotia have maintained a sister-province relationship for nearly six years, with steady progress in trade, the marine economy, and education cooperation, Wei said.

She said Fujian was willing to use the anniversary of the partnership as an opportunity to establish regular exchange mechanisms. She also proposed making use of major events, including the China International Fair for Investment and Trade and the World Maritime Equipment Conference, to encourage two-way investment and expand cultural, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges.

Levesque said Canada was willing to broaden cooperation with Fujian in investment, trade, and education as part of the China-Canada new strategic partnership. She added that Canada hoped to supply reliable, high-quality products to the Chinese market, including the Fujian market.

The Consulate General of Canada in Guangzhou was also willing to facilitate visa applications for Chinese nationals traveling to Canada for business, tourism, and study, she said.