Premier Li Keqiang and his wife, Cheng Hong, talk with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, at Trudeau’s official residence in Ottawa, Canada, on Wednesday.  [Photo/Xinhua]

"My visit to Canada ... is to inaugurate the new annual dialogue between our heads of government and further promote mutual understanding and mutually beneficial cooperation between our countries," Li said in the article published in the Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail on Wednesday.

"We hope the feasibility study on a China-Canada free trade area can be launched expeditiously to lay the institutional foundation for liberalized trade between the two countries," Li said in the article.

China is now Canada's second-largest trading partner, with bilateral trade volume of $67.2 billion in 2015, a year-on-year increase of 10.1 percent, according to Canadian statistics.

A China-Canada free trade deal would generate $7.8 billion in additional economic activity within 15 years, supporting 25,000 new Canadian jobs, according to a report released in January by the Canadian Council of Chief Executives and the Canada-China Business Council.

While Trudeau visited two major Chinese cities and attended a summit in a third, Li is scheduled to visit Ottawa as well as Montreal, where he will attend a business forum.

Li's visit is also part of the efforts to restart bilateral relations, including Trudeau's successful visit to Beijing last month, after years of ups and downs in their ties, said Ruan Zongze, executive vice-president of the China Institute of International Studies.

The two meetings within a month by the two leaders showcase the driving force to link their strategies and bring ties to a new high, Ruan said. Bilateral ties have entered a period of "active interaction" after years of insipidness, he added.

Geng Tan, a member of Canada's Parliament, said Li's visit is good not just for Canadians, but also for Chinese people, and will lead to more agreements and deals between the two countries.

Contact the writers at zhaohuanxin@chinadaily.com.cn