We have officially entered the Year of the Dog. In addition to heralding the start of a prosperous new year, it also marks the 48th year of Canada and China’s trading relationship and offers a chance to reflect on the growing commercial opportunities between our two nations.
With all the headwinds buffeting international trade and investment, from ongoing negotiations about the future of NAFTA to a growing protectionist sentiment in many countries, it’s important that Canada keep an open mind about new opportunities wherever and whenever they arise. Many of these opportunities come from the second-largest economy in the world—China—but Canadians have sometimes been reluctant to seize them because of a lack of understanding about modern China and outdated perceptions of Chinese businesses, particularly state-owned enterprises, or SOEs.
Austin’s work on the China file dates back to as early as 1971, when he was a deputy minister of energy, mines and resources and took part in Canada’s first trade mission to China. Since then, he has spearheaded efforts like former prime minister Jean Chrétien’s “Team Canada” economic outreach to Beijing in the early 1990s.
