Beijing has officially resumed group tours to Canada, just days after the first meeting between their top leaders in eight years, signalling a further thaw in bilateral ties after years of tensions.
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Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning made the announcement on Monday, ending a prolonged Covid-19-era freeze that left Canada off China’s outbound tour lists, even as group travel resumed to more than 130 other destinations.
Mao said the decision was taken after “comprehensive” consideration of Chinese travellers’ demands and destination safety.
“The move will further promote people-to-people exchanges and deepen mutual understanding and friendship between the Chinese and Canadian peoples,” she said.
“We are willing to work with the Canadian side to provide greater convenience for cross-border travel, and we hope Canada will do the same by providing a safe and comfortable travel environment for Chinese tourists.”
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Chinese President Xi Jinping met Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Friday on the margins of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, marking the first formal meeting between the leaders of the two countries since 2017.