Prime Minister Mark Carney hailed on Thursday Canada’s improving ties with China as well as the leadership of President Xi Jinping, declaring that their nations were charting a new course in cooperation at a time of global division and disorder.

“We’re heartened by the leadership of President Xi Jinping and the speed with which our relationship has progressed,” Carney told China’s top legislator, Zhao Leji, in a meeting in Beijing.

In a trade and economic roadmap signed on Thursday, both committed to “maintaining open channels of communication” to resolve issues on trade in agricultural products.

In the roadmap, Ottawa welcomes Chinese investments in energy, agriculture and consumer products, while Beijing looks forward to Canada’s investment in services, new materials, aerospace, and advanced manufacturing, among other fields.

The pacts provide “an example to the world of cooperation amidst a time globally of division and disorder,” Carney told Zhao.