British Columbia has the distinction of having the second-largest Chinese community in Canada, and many British Columbians with Chinese heritage hail from the Guangdong province. The Canadian province also has sister cities and ports in the Chinese province, a relationship that goes back to 1995.

China is BC’s most important economic partner after the United Stated. In 2014, the Canadian province exported goods worth $6.3 billion to China. Premier Christy Clark wants to further improve ties and co-operation between the two provinces.

Clark recently met with a delegation of high-ranking officials from the Guangdong province who are visiting British Columbia. The delegation has 200 government officials and business decision-makers and was led by His Excellency Hu Chunhua, who is a member of the Politburo and party secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Committee.

The two provinces have expressed interest in collaborating in low-carbon development, e-commerce, clean technology, ICT, trade and investment, and education. Party Secretary Hu and Premier Clark discussed the importance of building further on the Memorandum of Understanding signed by Governor Zhu Xiaodan and Premier Clark in November 2015.

China has been highlighted as a priority market in the BC Jobs Plan, and hosting the Chinese delegation is an important part of BC’s strategy to strengthen and expand its international trading partners. This is expected to help the province secure new investments, spur its economy, and create several job opportunities across British Columbia.

Premier Christy Clark said the meeting with the delegation from Guangdong province reaffirmed BC’s commitment to developing strong sister-province relations and working with the Chinese province to address climate change. At the moment, China is exploring alternative energy and adopting clean, green technology, and British Columbia excels in these fields. Clark stated that the two provinces are working to expand trade and investment and create opportunities and jobs in BC.

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