President Xi Jinping said on Friday that the China-Canada relations is developing in a healthy and stable manner since he met with Canadian prime minister Mark Carney last year.

Speaking during a meeting with Carney in Beijing, Xi said their meeting last year opened a new chapter in bilateral ties and the current development is beneficial to world peace, stability and prosperous development.

He also noted that Carney's visit marks the first trip to China since taking office, and it is also the first visit to China by a Canadian prime minister in eight years.

Carney, in his talks with Xi, said Canada and China were forging a new strategic partnership that stood to yield "historic" gains by leveraging on the strengths of each country.

The first Canadian prime minister to visit China since 2017, Carney is on ⁠a mission to rebuild ties with Canada's second-largest trading partner after the United States, following months of diplomatic efforts to resolve earlier tension.

"It is important to start this new strategic partnership at a time of division," he said to Xi, calling for focus on areas that can bring "historic gains" for both, such as agriculture, agri-food, energy, and finance.

"That is where I believe we can make immediate and sustained progress," Carney added.

Canada is looking to strengthen ties with ⁠the world's second-biggest economy after US President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on some of its goods and suggested the longtime US ally become the country's 51st state. (Additional reporting by Reuters)