China foreign minister to chair UN Security Council meeting in US

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi will travel to New York and chair a high-level meeting of the UN Security Council on May 26, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Friday.

In New York, Wang will meet the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and foreign ministers from other countries, the ministry said in a statement, without giving further details.

He will then visit Canada from May 28 to 30, the first trip to Canada by a Chinese foreign minister in 10 years, ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a regular press conference in Beijing.

"China-Canada relations have turned around and continue to improve, and the two sides are working to build a new type of strategic partnership," Guo said.

China hopes the visit will enhance political trust, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, manage differences and keep bilateral relations on a healthy, stable and sustainable track, he added.

China and Canada struck a trade deal in January during Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's visit, cutting tariffs on electric vehicles and canola in a reset of strained ties.

The New York leg of Wang's trip follows a summit last week between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, which featured warm exchanges but yielded no major breakthrough on trade or the Iran conflict.

Beijing has said Xi is expected to pay a state visit to the U.S. in the fall.

-Joe Cash and Ethan Wang/Reuters