Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and Canadian Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne on Friday agreed to hold a China-Canada Economic and Financial Strategic Dialogue in the second half of this year.
In their meeting in Beijing, He, China's lead person in the dialogue, called on the two sides to follow through on the important common understandings reached between the leaders of the two countries, deepen cooperation in areas such as economy, trade and finance, and foster the stable and sound development of China-Canada economic relations.
Champagne, the Canadian co-leader of the dialogue, said that Canada places high importance on its relations with China and stands ready to work with the Chinese side to advance economic and financial cooperation to deliver more practical outcomes.
The two sides also jointly met with representatives from the China-Canada Financial Working Group and Roundtable with Financial Institutions, welcoming institutions from both countries to do business in each other's markets.
China, Canada agree to hold economic, financial strategic dialogue in second half of this year
China, Canada agree to hold economic, financial strategic dialogue in second half of this year
Hong Kong's first astronaut lifted off into space on Sunday, sparking a wave of enthusiasm for space exploration in the special administrative region, while inspiring a new generation to look to the stars.
The Shenzhou-23 crewed spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 23:08 (Beijing Time) on Sunday. The crew members include Lai Ka-ying, the first astronaut and payload specialist from Hong Kong to join a national space mission, whose achievements have motivated many Hong Kong residents.
"I feel so happy and thrilled. This is the first time a Hong Kong astronaut has gone to space, and to see a true Hong Konger, who is also a mother of three, just really touches my heart," said Chow, a local resident.
The successful spaceflight of Lai has especially captivated the younger generation to dream bigger about the future.
"I want to be an astronaut, because I want to discover more things about space," said a young student surnamed Chow.
"I have seen things related to spaceflights of astronauts. I hope when I grow up, I could receive training and go to space myself," said another student surnamed Koo.
To meet public expectations, the Hong Kong Space Museum has updated its space-themed exhibition with the latest development of the Shenzhou-23 mission, extending the display until July 6. Parents are seizing the moment to enrich their children's knowledge.
"At his age, I want him to be exposed to a wide range of information. With all the recent astronaut news, I brought him here specially to see for himself. We will also check out a film about space knowledge at the planetarium. I hope he can get more out of this from an early age," said Cheung, a father.
"We just watched the Shenzhou-23 launch at home with my son last night, and decided to take him to the Space Museum," a mother surnamed Chun shared.
"I saw on TV that so many people were cheering for the launch. When the rocket was launched, fire burst out from its body. I was really happy they succeeded," said Chun's son.
Hong Kong's first astronaut ignites citywide enthusiasm over space exploration
