China, Canada firms sign 56 deals worth more than C$1.2 billion
SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Chinese and Canadian firms signed 56 deals worth more than C$1.2 billion ($914.8 million) at a ceremony on Thursday, Canadian trade minister Chrystia Freeland said in Shanghai.
Freeland said that Canada could be a great partner for China but that Canada was "taking our time" over a free trade agreement.
Chinese premier Li Keqiang said at a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday that both countries had agreed to start feasibility talks on a free trade pact at an early date.
The deals signed on Thursday involve companies in sectors from seafood to clean technologies, the trade minister said ahead of a speech by Trudeau.
A deep and effective economic relationship with China needed to be built consistently, thoughtfully and carefully, Freeland said.
An eleventh-hour deal to delay new, stricter rules on canola imports was a meaningful and important step for Canada, Freeland said.
China is Canada's top export market for the oilseed, and Ottawa has taken a strong line in talks on a new standard, which may raise costs for exporters.
Canada is committed to reaching a long-term and permanent canola deal with China at an early date, Freeland said.
($1 = 1.3117 Canadian dollars)
(Reporting by Brenda Goh; writing by Elias Glenn; Editing by Jacqueline Wong, Robert Birsel)
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