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<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14pt"><span style="font-weight: bold">December 2, 2004 <i>(12:15 p.m. EST)</i> No. 144</span></span></span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14pt"><span style="font-weight: bold">MINISTER PETERSON TO LEAD TRADE MISSION TO CHINA</span></span></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">International Trade Minister Jim Peterson will lead a trade mission to China from
January 18 to 25, 2005. The mission will help Canadian business further explore the
immense commercial opportunities in Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong.</span></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">“Canada recognizes the tremendous economic growth taking place in China, and is
taking steps to ensure that Canadian companies fully participate in the opportunities
that Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong have to offer,” said Mr. Peterson. “In addition to
this trade mission, we are also negotiating a Foreign Investment Protection Agreement,
as China is one of the main targets of our emerging market strategy.”</span></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">In each of these three Chinese cities, the mission program will consist of seminars,
conferences and networking opportunities designed to introduce export-ready
participants to the market and to help companies already active in the region expand
and strengthen their commercial ties.</span></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">After achieving impressive economic growth over the last decade, averaging almost
8.5 percent annually, China has become the world’s seventh-largest economy in terms
of gross domestic product. Canada’s bilateral merchandise trade with China, which
reached a record $23.3 billion in 2003, has increased by some 31 percent since the
beginning of the year. This makes China our second-largest trading partner after the
United States.</span></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">Since becoming a member of the World Trade Organization in December 2001, China
has opened its markets and undertaken economic reforms. Its increasingly powerful
industrial infrastructure is driving greater integration with the economies of East and
Southeast Asia. All of these developments make it a very attractive market for
Canadian companies, especially in the financial services, education, natural resources,
transportation, agri-food, biotechnology, information and communications technology,
aerospace and tourism sectors.</span></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">For more information on this mission, please visit </span></span><a href="https://bac-lac.wayback.archive-it.org/web/20071126045114/http://www.tcm-mec.gc.ca/china2005/"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #0000ff"><span style="text-decoration: underline">www.tcm-mec.gc.ca/china2005</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #000000">.</span></span></span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #000000">- 30 -</span></span></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #000000">For further information, media representatives may contact:</span></span></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #000000">Jacqueline LaRocque<br>
Director of Communications<br>
Office of the Minister of International Trade<br>
(613) 992-7332</span></span></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #000000">Media Relations Office<br>
Foreign Affairs Canada and International Trade Canada<br>
(613) 995-1874<br>
</span></span></span><a href="https://bac-lac.wayback.archive-it.org/web/20071126045114/http://www.international.gc.ca/"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #0000ff"><span style="text-decoration: underline">http://www.international.gc.ca</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #000000"></span></span></span></p>
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