Visit, though late, still welcome

After nearly four years of stagnation in bilateral ties, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will finally visit China from Dec 2 to 6, his first trip to the country since taking office in 2006. It is expected that the visit, dubbed an "ice-breaking trip", will inject a warm current into bilateral relations.

Overall, Sino-Canadian ties have maintained good momentum since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1970, and especially after the end of the Cold War. The sound development was due to the maturity of the liberal government's policy toward China: In 1994, former prime minister Jean Chrtien declared delinking of the country's economic and trade policies toward China with human rights issues - the first among developed countries; in 1997, both announced the formal establishment of "a comprehensive cooperative partnership oriented toward the 21st century"; in 2003, Premier Wen Jiabao put forward four proposals on promoting bilateral ties; and in 2005, the two countries decided to forge a strategic partnership during President Hu Jintao's visit to Canada.

In the eyes of many ordinary Chinese, Canada, hailed as "the country of maple leaves", is not only famed for its beautiful natural environment, highly developed economy, advanced educational system and sound welfare policy, but has also won admiration for its peaceful diplomatic policy and favorable international image.