Canada's Governor General David Johnston met with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Ottawa, Canada, June 2, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

OTTAWA -- Canada's Governor General David Johnston met with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi here Thursday on enhancing relations between the two countries.

Johnston said Canada and China have enjoyed a long history of cooperation and exchanges in various fields.

The bilateral relations have became increasingly active in recent years, which have had a broad impact on Canadian economic and social life, he said.

Canada's new government has shown great enthusiasm to develop the relations with China, he said, calling on the two countries to meet each other halfway, develop mutually beneficial cooperation and promote people-to-people and cultural exchanges to constantly bring benefits to both peoples.

The Chinese foreign minister, who arrived here Tuesday for a three-day visit, said that Johnston's proposal of the three themes of prosperity, innovation and communication for the China-Canada relations conforms to the future development of the bilateral ties.

The China-Canada relationship has witnessed remarkable progress in all fields and is now faced with critical development opportunities, Wang said.

Canada's new Liberal government expressed willingness to carry on its tradition of actively developing relations with China, he said, noting that China is willing to work together with Canada to create a golden age in the bilateral relations oriented towards the 21st century.