Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, his country's most popular politician, met Prime Minister Stephen Harper for the first time in the Great Hall of the People here in Beijing. As is customary when two leaders meet, there is a photo opportunity and, usually, the leaders make a few anodyne remarks for two or three minutes before reporters and photographers are ushered out of the room. Not this time. Jiabao, with journalists from both countries watching, publicly rebuked Harper for being, as one state-owned newspaper her put it, the “last G8 leader to visit China”. Here is the transcript followed by the audio file, if you'd like to listen for yourself:
WEN [via translator] Prime Minister Stephen Harper: welcome to paying an official visit to China. This is your first trip to China and this is the first meeting between the Chinese Premier and the Canadian Prime Minister in almost five years. Five years is too long a time for China Canada relations and that is why there are comments in the media that your visit is one that should have taken place earlier.
I remember quoting a Chinese proverb when I gave a speech during my visit to Canada in 2003. The proverb reads, “Common visions and common ideals can bring people together in spite of the thousands of miles that sets them apart.” I expressed the hope that China and Canada will set an example of long term and friendly cooperation between countries different in social systems and level of development.
Mr Prime Minister, your visit this time has a great mission and a special significance. I am willing to have an in depth exchange of views with you on China Canada relations and major issues of common interest to deepen our mutual understanding and trust and take forward exchanges and cooperation between the two sides in various areas. We hope that through your visit the China Canada relationship will turn a new page.
HARPER : Thank you very much Premier Wen. First of all it’s a delight to be here for the first time and a real honour and pleasure to visit your country. I, as I said earlier, I saw the Great Wall this morning, which is something that I think probably everybody should see before they finish passing through this life and I look forward to seeing many more of the treasures of your country and meeting with the great Chinese people.
We have had diplomatic relations between our two countries for almost forty years which has witnessed tremendous growth in not just trade and investment but interaction of our peoples. I agree with you Premier that five years is a long time. It’s also been almost five years since we’ve had yourself or President Hu in our country, and so I hope as we approach this important milestone in our relationship, the forty year anniversary, that yourself or President Hu will also have the opportunity in the not too distant future to visit Canada.
[Reporters are ushered out of the room while Harper continued speaking]
Here is the audio file of that exchange: