Ottawa, Sept. 25 -- Canada and Vietnam elevated their bilateral relationship to a strategic partnership on Thursday, as Vietnamese General Secretary and President To Lam met Prime Minister Mark Carney in Ottawa.

This marks the first official visit to Canada by a General Secretary of Vietnam's Communist Party since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1973.

The two leaders said they intended to usher in "a new era of deeper, more substantive and more sustainable cooperation," grounded in mutual respect for each other's political systems and sovereignty.

Trade and the ASEAN agreement

Vietnam is Canada's largest trading partner in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, with the relationship built largely on the Comp...