Canada hopes to make a 'big splash' at CIIE

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02:28

Canada has made a lot of preparations for the upcoming China International Import Expo (CIIE), as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been urging the cabinet to beef up cooperation efforts with China on trade and investment, and to improve overall bilateral relations, according to John McCallum, the Canadian Ambassador to China.

The CIIE, which will take place from November 5 to 10 in Shanghai, is the first of its kind held in China. Aside from the major presence of some 20 Canadian companies at the Expo, according to the ambassador, Canada's delegation, led by Agricultural Minister Lawrence MacAulay, will include at least six federal ministers and three provincial premiers who all have “deals to make.”

McCallum said that what Canada can offer is not limited to “healthy” agricultural products, but also “innovation” and the country wants to exhibit a wide variety of goods on the CIIE.

“What Chinese people often don't know is that Canada is also an innovating country,” he said. “We had 13 of the 100 top technological innovations, and we have a lot of new clean tech products as well as in traditional areas.”

A scarf-wearing giant panda, the mascot for the first China International Import Expo (CIIE), is seen outside the‍ Shanghai Railway station on November 2, 2018. /VCG Photo

“We're hoping to make a splash at this event in Shanghai,” the ambassador said, noting that the government is considering diversifying and expanding its exports to China. Canadian statistics show that Canada's imports from China were around 55 billion US dollars in 2017, while its exports to China totaled around 19 billion US dollars.

However, the ambassador - who is also an economist - said Canada would not fuss with the trade “imbalance” issue like the US does. “We want to grow trade and export more to China,” he added.

McCallum said that the country's official target in the trade area is to double the current volume by 2025, adding that despite some concerns on Canada's part over the market access in China, the two sides have shown confidence in solving the issue and deepening economic ties through talks.

Although the new trade agreement between the US, Mexico, and Canada includes language that may prevent Canada from creating a trade deal with a so-called “non-market country,” McCallum believed the agreement doesn't prevent Canada from deepening economic relations with China in many ways.

“We have an undiminished enthusiasm to increase our ties with China,” he added.

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