More than three-quarters of Canadian businesses in China are profitable, according to a survey report released Tuesday.

Conducted by the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada between August and October 2010 among over 600 Canadian companies that have done business in China, the survey reveals that 76 percent of them are profitable despite challenges such as red tape and pollution.

When asked about the living environment in China, respondents expressed a high degree of satisfaction with respect to housing, safety, and social support, but were clearly dissatisfied with the air quality and level of pollution, according to the survey.

China is Canada's second largest trading partner in the world and one of the fastest growing export markets for Canadian firms.

"There is no question that two-way commercial ties between Canada and China will grow in the years ahead. The challenge is to remove the barriers that hold back the potential for even stronger and deeper economic relations between the two countries,"the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada President and CEO Yuen Pau Woo said in a press release.

(Xinhua News Agency October 27, 2010)