Canada seeks to co-operate with China on environmental protection

Canada wants to expand co-operation with China on environmental protection and climate change, a senior official from the Northern American country says.

Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna said on Monday that Canada looked forward to building on our accomplishments and working with China.

"We are confident that we will continue to achieve important results through these exchanges," she said. "Together, we will continue to build a new global clean economy."

McKenna, who arrived in Guangzhou on Sunday, is leading a clean technology advocacy program with Canadian and Chinese companies in Guangzhou and Foshan.

While in Foshan, McKenna participated in the official unveiling of the new Canada – China Technology Transfer Institute. This new technology facility will be built jointly by Ontario-based Canada Clean Tech Capital (China) Inc and Foshan University.

In Guangzhou, McKenna met senior officials from the Guangdong provincial development and reform commission to discuss co-operation between Canada and Guangdong province.

McKenna left Guangzhou and flew to Beijing on Monday night.

Before flying out, McKenna attended opening ceremony of the new premises of the Consulate General of Canada in Guangzhou which has a consular territory consisting of the provinces of Fujian, Guangdong, Jiangxi, Hainan, Hunan and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region on Monday.

"The new premises of the Consulate General in Guangzhou are a concrete expression of Canada's commitment to strengthening its long-standing ties with China, across a wide range of sectors," said McKenna.

"This new expanded Consulate General in Guangzhou, in addition to the whole China network of diplomatic missions, provides a dynamic platform to bring our countries and people together to increase our mutual economic prosperity and protect our global environment."

Charge d'Affaires of Canada to China Cindy Termorshuizen said: "Canada places a great deal of importance upon further developing and sustaining a robust and strong relationship with China. The growth and expansion of this Consulate General in Guangzhou is one demonstration of this."

Consul General of Canada in Guangzhou, Rachael Bedlington, said: "Besides assisting Canadians in need, the Consulate will serve to reinforce the already deep commercial, academic, cultural and people-to-people ties between Canada and South China."

Guangdong Provincial Office of Foreign Affairs deputy director Luo Jun said Guangdong and Canada have already established very close economic and win-win relations in recent years.

The foreign trade volume between Guangdong and Canada reached more than $4 billion in the first six months of the year.