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New Vancouver conference aims to boost Sino-Canadian relations

Xinhua, August 24, 2016 Adjust font size:

Business people from China and Canada gathered here Tuesday at the Canada China Trade Conference that aims to educate and inspire Canadian businesses to become part of the growing Chinese market.

The event, held at the Vancouver Convention Center and e-commerce themed, which is considered one of the fastest-growing types of business in China, included presentations by a dozen Chinese and Canadian companies, and featured a commercial trade show.

The event organizer Kevin Li from New Media Technology said "I think the biggest obstacle is the lack of information. The local businesses don't really have a clue of how to deal with business in China, especially when it comes to digital marketing. They don't know how to generate interest, or get attention, and communicate with the Chinese consumers. So the purpose of this event is to help them bridge the gap."

"It's our first year. Our goal in the very beginning is to connect Canadian businesses with Chinese consumers. So this conference is really to connect both worlds to make sure the Canadian products go to China, and land in the hands of the Chinese consumers," Li added.

China is now Canada's second-largest trading partner after the United States, with bilateral trade in 2015 totalling more than 80 billion Canadian dollars (61.6 billion U.S. dollars), statistics showed.

But for Canadian Chinese businessman Sam Peng, that number is not high enough, and the obstacles for Canadians getting access to China's growing market are very obvious.

"The most difficult thing is the language. The second thing is the distance between China and Canada, and the third thing is the customs, duties," said Peng, former president of Canada Chinese Investors and Entrepreneurs Association.

Jimmy Mitchell from AdvantageBC, an international business center based in Vancouver, said British Columbia has a stable banking system, strong international trade treaties and is one of the best places to live and work in the world.

Organizers said they plan to hold the conference annually from now on, perhaps rotating the site from Vancouver to Toronto, and then move into China in the future. Endi