Quebec province in Canada is set to open a new commercial representative office in Qingdao, Shandong province, it was announced on March 24.

The establishment of the office is a significant milestone in the relationship between Quebec and China, said Christina Saint-Pierre, Quebec minister of international relations and La Francophonie.

Ms Saint-Pierre said the office will help enterprises from Quebec seek more opportunities and cooperation in Shandong province.

Quebec and Shandong provinces have established a good relationship in the past few years, with the two signing a number of memorandums of understanding and jointly founding a total of 27 projects since 2008.

"We hope both sides will carry out strategic cooperation in fields such as food, environmental protection, transportation as well as marine science and technology, with the help of the new office," Ms Saint-Pierre said.

Located in eastern Canada, French-speaking Quebec is the country’s largest province in terms of area and home to more than 8.2 million people. It is a vibrant multicultural province often referred to as the "Europe of North America".