Ottawa, July 6, 2010: In a special report released today, the voice of Canadian business is calling for stronger economic ties with China.

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s report, Canada-China: Building a strong economic partnership, asks whether we, in politics, business and society at large, have maximized the Canada-China economic partnership. China is due to become the world’s second largest economy this year, with markets representing 1.3 billion increasingly sophisticated consumers and deep pools of capital.

“Our extensive research and discussions with our members and Canadian thought leaders convince us that now is the time for both governments and the business community to reinforce efforts to realize the economic potential of Canada-China ties,” states Perrin Beatty, President and CEO of the Canadian Chamber.

This report, released as we prepare to celebrate four decades of Sino-Canadian diplomatic ties and following President Hu Jintao’s recent visit to Canada, calls for the federal government, the provinces and territories to come together with the business community to pave a path forward with a farsighted vision. It calls for removing obstacles to business in both countries, to enhance the visibility of Canada’s cross-sector value proposition in China, where virtually every country is aggressively marketing the best it has to offer, to ensure Canada continues to have the skills and structures with which to supply the innovative products China and other markets demand, and to see more Canadian businesses of all sizes become confident, globally competitive players in China and elsewhere.

“We hope that Canada-China: Building a strong economic partnership will help both countries find new ways to boost their two-way exchanges in trade and investment,” says Beatty. “For Canada and China, the dividends could be huge, and so we must take full advantage of the great opportunities before us.”

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