TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Canadian International Trade Minister Mary Ng (伍鳳儀) on Thursday (March 11) tweeted her appreciation for a virtual meeting with Taiwanese Economics Minister Wang Mei-hua (王美花).

The two countries do not maintain official diplomatic relations but have close trade and cultural ties. Both are also members of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.

The Hong Kong-born Ng, whose full title is minister of small business, export promotion and international trade, tweeted that she had an “excellent meeting” with Wang after a women-led “virtual trade mission” to Taiwan. The mission was organized by the Asia Pacific Foundation on March 1-2, but the talks between Ng and Wang took place Thursday evening, CNA reported.

“We discussed opportunities for future innovation & collaboration between Canada and Taiwan,” Ng said in her tweet, which featured pictures of both ministers and fragments of the national symbols — Taiwan’s white sun and Canada’s maple leaf — on a red background.

The bilateral talks are an annual event, but until this year they were always conducted at the vice-ministerial level, according to CNA. The fact that Canada’s minister even mentioned them openly is a sign relations are improving amid both countries’ disputes with China, the report said.