China News Service, Toronto, December 22 (Reporter Yu Ruidong) Fujian Province of China and Nova Scotia of Canada held an online signing ceremony of the agreement on December 21.
Fujian has also become the second Chinese province in Nova Scotia after Guangdong.
The governor of Nova Scotia, Stephen McNeil, said that both the new province and Fujian are coastal provinces.
The new province attaches great importance to the relationship with Fujian and looks forward to further cooperation to create mutually beneficial opportunities.
He said that this kind of friendship-province relationship is of great significance as the new province focuses on economic recovery after the epidemic.
The Governor of Fujian Province Wang Ning said that since the two provinces signed the letter of intent in May 2018, the exchanges and cooperation in various fields between the two sides have continued to deepen and are fruitful.
Especially in the course of this year's fight against the epidemic, the people of the two provinces worked together and helped each other, and implemented the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind with practical actions.
It is hoped that the two provinces will take this opportunity to further strengthen practical cooperation in the fields of industry, trade, culture, education, and tourism, so as to better benefit the people of the two provinces.
Cong Peiwu, Chinese Ambassador to Canada, said that local exchanges are an important part of China-Canada relations.
Nova Scotia attaches great importance to the development of relations with China and has always been at the forefront of Canada's cooperation with China.
Due to well-known reasons, the current China-Canada relations are facing severe challenges.
In this context, Fujian Province and the New Province are actively committed to advancing mutually beneficial cooperation and sublimating the relationship between the two provinces, injecting positive energy into China-Canada relations, which is invaluable and reflects the strategic vision and pragmatic spirit of the two provincial governments.
In the long run, the healthy and stable development of China-Canada relations conforms to the trend of the times and conforms to popular aspirations, and it is inevitable that China-Canada relations will be back on track.
Canadian Ambassador to China Bao Damin also attended the online signing ceremony and delivered a speech.
Representatives of enterprises and universities in the two provinces signed relevant memorandums of cooperation at the ceremony.
Nova Scotia has always been at the forefront of Canada's cooperation with China.
The province issued the "China Cooperation Strategy" in April 2016.
This is the first strategic document on cooperation with China issued by the Canadian provincial government in the history of China-Canada relations.
China is Nova Scotia's second largest trading partner and export destination. At present, about 5,000 Chinese students are studying in the province, making it the largest group of overseas students in the province.
Since 2014, McNeill has visited China eight times, including four in Fujian.
The province signed an agreement with Guangdong Province in November 2018 to establish friendly provincial relations.
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