By Vittorio Hernandez

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will visit China for the second time in November.

The trip is expected to boost further Ottawa's trade and politic ties with Beijing.

As the U.S. economy slowed down, Canada is seeking to expand its commercial and economic linkages with other markets, particularly those from the emerging economies.

To improve those ties, Harper has recently been traveling to other nations.

Harper recently inked several agreements with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and is currently in Colombia to sign a historic free trade deal with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos.

However, the prime minister is being criticized by the opposition, which opposed the agreement in 2008 and attempted to block it again, because of Colombia's poor human rights record.

The agreement with Colombia will take effect on Monday, Aug. 15.

Harper defended the deal with Colombia and said Bogota's past should not stand in the way of future trade with Ottawa. He said improved trade ties with Colombia would help lift the South American nation out of poverty.

The prime minister visited China in 2009 to improve diplomatic relations with Beijing. After Harper, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird followed up the visit in July. After his China trip, Baird said China is a strategic partner, friend and ally of Canada.

 

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