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<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"> <head> <meta name="Title" content="Ed"> <meta name="Keywords" content=""> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=macintosh"> <meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"> <meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"> <meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"> <link rel="File-List" href="2005-2-e_files/filelist.xml"> <title>Ed</title>  <style>  </style>  </head> <body bgcolor="white" lang="EN-US" style="tab-interval:.5in"> <div class="Section1"> January 20, 2005 <o:p></o:p> BEIJING, China <o:p></o:p> 2005/3 <o:p></o:p> CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> NOTES FOR AN ADDRESS BY<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> THE HONOURABLE JIM PETERSON,<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> MINISTER OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE,<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> AT A PLENARY SESSION OF THE <o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> CANADA TRADE MISSION TO CHINA<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> I am so pleased that we have with us today Mark Rosswell, known as DaShan. He is so much like Norman Bethune, so well-known in China.<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> We have come to Beijing from Shanghai, where we had 250 Canadian businesses, along with 750 of their Chinese counterparts. Our time in Shanghai offered us a chance to meet to form alliances and partnerships for trade and investment.<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> And now we are here today in Beijing at the second leg of our trade mission to China. <o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> I don't have to remind any of you why we are all here. China has the world's largest population and fastest-growing economy. China is not just about Beijing or Shanghai or Hong Kong; there are 53 cities in China with more than one million inhabitants.<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> China is transforming global commerce: it is driving down the cost of goods that are manufactured. This is leading to a reduction of the cost of goods in Canada, the United States and around the world. It is creating vast new demands for Canadian resources and technology, for Canadian skills and know-how. I can tell you this: Canada is not going to be left on the sidelines. We are committed to being a player. A major player and a winner.<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> Across the world, we are seeing a transformed global economy. It can no longer be business as usual; every business needs a China strategy. And let me say to our friends here from China that I don't have to convince you, I'm sure, of why Canadians can be winners in this new China-dominant economy.<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> First and foremost, Canadians are already the preeminent trading nation among developed countries in the world, as 38 percent of our economy depends on exports. In other words, we know how to compete.<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> Canada also already possesses close links with China at the personal level. Over 250 thousand Canadians are living in China and, last year, 37 thousand Chinese studied in our country. In addition, many Canadian schools and universities provide education here in China. Most importantly, over one million Canadians are of Chinese origin—contributing so greatly to our rich cultural diversity, to our economic strength and to our national pride.<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> The Government of Canada is already actively engaged with China on many fronts and is prepared to do even more. Last evening, Premier Wen Jiabao reminded us that, since 1988, there have been 30 high-level visits between our two countries. As our Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Paul Martin, said, Premier Wen was the first foreign head of state with whom Paul Martin met after becoming Prime Minister. I myself have met twice with trade minister Bo Xilai and twice now with Minister Ma Xiuhong. <o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> Yesterday, we signed 10 accords with China to strengthen Sino-Canadian ties. These were accords on culture and education; communications; scientific cooperation and personnel training; agri-food; earth sciences; metals and minerals; on our Kyoto commitments; on further aid for financing trade and investment; and on nuclear and clean energy cooperation.<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> The Canada-China strategic working group, formed in December 2003, issued a common paper that dealt with strengthening multilateral cooperation between Canada and China, cooperation within the United Nations, the G20, APEC [Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation], the World Heath Organization and the WTO [World Trade Organization]. In terms of the WTO, Minister Ma and I know that trade and development go hand-in-glove and we need to work together—and we will work together—for a successful and ambitious conclusion to the Doha Development Round.<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> This morning, Minister Ma and I also had the opportunity to discuss a number of issues before coming into this great auditorium. We discussed how we might cooperate and learn from one another on what more we might do to aid the victims of the tsunami. We spoke about what we might look at in terms of helping promote trade from those countries, and our officials will meet this afternoon on concepts of better care of tourism. We also talked about bilateral issues such as further opening up the Chinese market to Canadian poultry and beef, based on strong science. We talked about ways that we can work together on the issue of market economy and how we might enhance further the great trade and investment relationships between our two countries.<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> The strategic working group also talks in its paper about sustainable development for natural resources and energy, advanced nuclear energy trade technologies, concluding a foreign investment protection agreement, granting approved destination status for Canada in terms of tourism from China, enhanced transportation linkages and support for culture and education. And I want to say to our Chinese partners how much we appreciate you being with our business leaders here today and working with them on their China strategy. I am sure at the same time that you will want to develop your own Canada strategy. Canadians here are leaders in so many fields: aerospace, transportation, biotechnology, financial services, communications, agri-food, education, natural resources and energy, tourism and a host of others. Canada also excels at legal, accounting, architecture, autos and, of course—of such great importance to all of us—our environment.<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> And I don't have to tell you that Canada has an incredible abundance of natural resources including the world's second largest proven reserves of oil. We are leaders in high tech, new technologies and know-how. I say to you, our friends from China, that as part of your Canada strategy, you will want to look at how to best access what is still the world's biggest market—the NAFTA. <o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> The Economist Intelligence Unit has said that Canada will be the best country in the world in which to do business over the next five years. And the last KPMG study shows that Canada has a huge cost advantage over all other countries studied in terms of doing business. This includes a nine percentage-point cost advantage over locating your North American operation in the United States. Better yet, this cost advantage will continue even if the Canadian dollar goes up. So when you look to this huge North American market, we say to you, look no farther than Canada. Our corporate taxes are lower and that goes right to your bottom line.<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> The OECD [Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development] has demonstrated that Canada has the best tax incentives for research and development, and our public health and education and pensions are among the best in the world. Perhaps best of all, with only 32 million inhabitants in what is the world's second largest country, I can assure you that you will have plenty of space, beautiful space at that, in which to work, play and to prosper. And so I say to you we want you to come to Canada and we are here to roll out the red carpet.<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> Let me assure you that when it comes to China, Canada means business. That is why the Prime Minister is here. This is why I am here along with my Parliamentary Secretary, the Honourable Mark Eyking, who is responsible for emerging markets. This is why four Canadian cabinet ministers are here, why eight Canadian members of Parliament are here, why three provincial ministers are here and why three Canadian municipal leaders are here. We mean business and all three levels of Canadian government are working together on our China strategy. Let me tell you we stand behind our commitment to China, and we stand behind our businesses and investors who are committed to China. We want to be your partners for the long run. <o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> Minister Ma, Canadians have incredible respect and admiration for the way you have, in just a few short years, transformed the Chinese economy into a global economic powerhouse. And I commend you for the role that you personally have played in this incredible development. I look forward to ever strengthening the ties, the ties of investment, trade and friendship between our two great countries. We are countries which individually have achieved so much but which together can achieve so much more. I know that the best is yet to come.<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> Thank you.<o:p></o:p> </div> </body> </html>

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