As for the timing of initiating formal FTA negotiations, the senior diplomat said, "Hopefully in a short order we will be able to have a dialogue with our Chinese counterpart on this part.”

He also indicated that Canada is focused on sealing free trade pacts with the European Union and India before "turning its attention" to China.

Meanwhile, media reports said the Canada-China Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement has not been ratified by Canada.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and then-Chinese president Hu Jintao witnessed the signing of the agreement on Sept 8.

Bilateral trade reached record levels in 2017, and China is now Canada's second-largest export destination after the United States.

About the broadcaster:

Nelly Min is an editor at China Daily with more than 10 years of experience as a newspaper editor and photographer. She has worked at major newspapers in the U.S., including the Los Angeles Times and the Detroit Free Press. She is also fluent in Korean.

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