Canada, China can achieve win-win situation: think-tank expert

Canada and China can achieve a win-win situation as the two economies are structurally complementary, said a think-tank expert in an interview with the China Global Television Network (CGTN) on Saturday.

Paul Samson, president of the Center for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), an independent, non-partisan think-tank on global governance based in Canada, said despite that there are also some irritants in the Canada-China relations, he believes that the strategic dialogue between the two countries can solve the problems.

"The two economies are complementary structurally. They complement each other -- natural resources, energy, finished products. There's an easy win-win space there for Canada and China. We have some irritants, as well, that I think the strategic dialogue can start solving as well," he said.

Samson also said that he believes the government of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will roll back some of the tariffs imposed by Canada, which is in the interest of the country.

"The Carney government has the guts and the desire to do what's in Canada's interest. I think they will be willing to roll back tariffs. Right now, we've got tariffs imposed on Canadian goods from the United States and we have them imposed by China. Canada has got to find a way to negotiate with both simultaneously," he said.

Carney, who was on an official visit to China from Wednesday through Saturday, said on Friday that his visit to China had been "historic and productive" and that the two sides had made significant progress in several key areas, underscoring the importance of trade ties between the two countries.

China and Canada have reached specific arrangements to properly address trade issues related to electric vehicles, steel and aluminum products, canola, and agricultural and aquatic products, China's Commerce Ministry said on Friday.

The two sides have also reached positive consensus on increasing direct flights, improving the business environment, and inspection and quarantine of agricultural products, it said.

Canada, China can achieve win-win situation: think-tank expert

Canada, China can achieve win-win situation: think-tank expert

The 2026 Qixi Festival Gala, produced by China Media Group (CMG), got underway at 20:00 Beijing Time on Wednesday, marking the annual celebration of one of China's oldest and most cherished traditional festivals.

The Qixi Festival, also referred to as the Chinese Valentine's Day, falls on the seventh day of the seventh month on the Chinese lunar calendar. It dates back more than 2,000 years and was inscribed on China's national intangible cultural heritage list in 2006.

The festival's enduring romantic association stems from the legends of the cowherd Niulang and the weaver girl Zhinyu, star-crossed lovers separated by the Milky Way who are permitted to meet only once a year when a flock of magpies forms a bridge across the heavens.

In ancient China, young women celebrate the festival by praying to Zhinyu for clever hands and domestic talents. Today, couples usually spend the day by exchanging gifts and many partners choose this auspicious date to register their marriages or hold collective traditional weddings.

This year's gala centered on the motif of a bridge, linking ancient myth with contemporary life.

A travelogue performance themed around the mythological bridge ran through the entire event, which featured songs, dances, traditional operas and ballet.

A highlight of the gala was a micro-film which explores shared Qixi customs between people from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan.

Among the evening's touching highlights was a short film featuring the enduring romance of 88-year-old Chinese radar technology expert Ben De, recipient of China's 2026 State Preeminent Science and Technology Award, and his wife. The award is the nation's highest honor for scientific and technological achievement.

This year's gala centered on co-creation, featuring segments with real couples from across the country to jointly celebrate the millennia-old traditions through contemporary expressions of love.

CMG airs special TV gala to celebrate China's 2,000-year-old love festival