Government and Policy

Canada to boost trade links with China

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-05-22 14:48

VANCOUVER - Canada is confident of attracting Chinese investments as the two countries are strengthening their trade links, a Canadian minister said Friday.

Stockwell Day, Canadian minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway, has ended his eight-day trip to China and returned home. During his visit, he discussed trade links between the two countries with senior Chinese officials, including the benefits of quickly passing Chinese products through Vancouver ports into North America's heartland and thus shop floors.

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Canada has invested more than 2.3 billion Canadian dollars ($2.16 billion) in the past two and a half years to increase the ports' efficiency and improve supporting infrastructure such as road and rail lines, he said.

The major challenge of improving trade between the two countries was "just continuing to get the story out about what Canada has to offer," he added.

"It's something China is more and more aware of," Day said.

He pointed out that the countries represented in the Shanghai Expo were sending a message that they expected to attract Chinese investments by participating in the Expo.

"You have to be able to stand out. You have to be able to have some things that are unique to offer," Day said. He added that the fact that there were 1.4 million Chinese-Canadians pointed to a natural link with China.