Canada to open 4 new trade service offices in China

Canada will open four new trade service offices in China this year as the market is among the Canadian government's "top priorities," Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade, said yesterday in Shanghai.

It will bring the total number of Canada's trade offices in China to 15, the second largest only after the US.

"China has in the past five to seven years become the high growth market of the future, the government is determined that Canada should be well positioned to take advantage of those opportunities," Fast said.

Shanghai-based Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China Ltd, manufacturer of C919 aircraft, is a strategic partner of Canada-based Bombardier, Fast said. He added that Commercial Aircraft will also work with Canada-based CAE to train pilots.

The minister envisioned ample opportunities among the two countries in the fields of environment protection, financial services, and education.

China is Canada's second largest merchandise trading partner, with two-way merchandise trade totaling US$73.2 billion in 2013, an increase of 4.5 percent over the previous year, official data showed.

Canada's merchandise trade exports to China reached nearly US$20.5 billion in 2013, nearly doubling over the past five years.