Photo: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian

The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday that Diplomatic Adviser to the French President Emmanuel Bonne, Sweden's Minister for Foreign Affairs Maria Malmer Stenergard, and Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand will visit China this week. 

Bonne will be in China from October 15 to 16. He and Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs Wang Yi will hold a new round of China-France Strategic Dialogue, the ministry's spokesperson said.

Also, at the invitation of Wang Yi, Sweden's Minister for Foreign Affairs Stenergard will pay an official visit to China from October 16 to 17, the ministry's spokesperson said. 

In addition, at the invitation of Wang Yi, Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand will also visit China from October 16 to 17, according to spokesperson Lin Jian of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Lin Jian said on Tuesday that Canadian Foreign Minister Anand's visit marks his first trip to China since taking office in May this year. 

It will also be another high-level exchange following the meeting between Chinese premier and Canadian prime minister on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly last month and the meeting between the two foreign ministers in Malaysia in July. Foreign Minister Wang Yi will hold in-depth discussions with Foreign Minister Anand on China-Canada relations and international and regional issues of mutual interest, Lin said.

Lin noted that this year marks the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Canada, as well as the 20th anniversary of their strategic partnership. China has always advocated for developing China-Canada relations on the basis of mutual respect, equality, and mutual benefit. It is hoped that this visit will help strengthen strategic communication with the Canadian side, advance the implementation of the consensus reached between the two leaders, and promote the continuous improvement and development of China-Canada relations for the greater benefit of both peoples, Lin said. 

In response to a question about Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Stenergard's upcoming visit, Lin said Sweden was the first Western country to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. 

In May this year, President Xi Jinping and King Carl XVI Gustaf exchanged congratulatory messages marking the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties, agreeing to continue deepening practical cooperation and promoting the sustained development of friendly relations between the two countries. 

China stands ready to work with Sweden, taking this visit as an opportunity to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, strengthen communication, enhance mutual trust, and deepen cooperation on the basis of mutual respect, equality, and mutual benefit, to ensure the steady and long-term growth of bilateral relations, Lin said. 

And when it comes to the upcoming visit of Diplomatic Adviser to the French President Emmanuel Bonne to China, the ministry's spokesperson said China and France are both permanent members of the UN Security Council and independent major powers. In recent years, under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, China-France relations have maintained a sound momentum of steady development. 

In May this year, President Xi Jinping spoke by phone with French President Emmanuel Macron, and the two leaders reached important consensus on strengthening strategic communication, jointly upholding multilateralism, and promoting world peace and stability, charting the course for the future development of China-France relations under new circumstances.

China looks forward to using this dialogue as an opportunity to engage in in-depth exchanges with France on bilateral relations and international and regional issues of mutual interest, advance the implementation of the consensus reached by the two heads of state, consolidate mutual trust, expand cooperation, and promote the sustained development of the China-France comprehensive strategic partnership, so as to make new contributions to global peace, stability, and prosperity, Lin said.