CRI听力:Li Keqiang calls for new golden decade

Speaking to a full house of entrepreneurs from China and Canada, Li Keqiang quoted the Montreal Canadiens' hockey team motto "No excuse. Be a winner" to describe his vision for the future of bilateral relations.

"In one month, the Prime ministers of the two countries have made back-to-back visits to each other's country. During their visits, not only have they reached important consensus, but also witnessed the signing of dozens of documents to strengthen bilateral cooperation. Such frequency and warmth is rare in our history and demonstrated how rapidly relations are progressing between China and Canada."

Li says there is a huge potential to tap.

"We both are major economies in the world. Meanwhile, we can complement each other in many fields, including certain industries, our economies and people-to-people and cultural exchanges. The trade volume between China and Canada was only a little over 50 billion US dollars last year. That figure does not match our economic status."

The two premiers have set a goal to double the trade volume in the next decade and began to embark on the exploratory talks towards a potential bilateral free trade agreement.

Li says Canada is first among G7 group to explore such a possibility with China. He says China is open to the discussion even though such a deal poses a huge challenge to Chinese enterprises.

Meanwhile, China-Canadian cooperation can be extended to other markets.

"In the fields of aviation and railway transportation, I believe, Canada's advanced technology plus China's price-beating but quality-proofed products have a strong competitiveness in a third market, particularly in developing countries."

Li Keqiang also encouraged Canadian entrepreneurs to continue investing in China, saying the Chinese government is keen to strengthen the rule of law as well as intellectual property protection so as to create a fair environment for market competition.

Xiaohong, CRI, Montreal.