Canada's Environment and Climate Change Minister concludes successful first official mission to China

BEIJING, China, Dec. 8, 2016 /CNW/ - Today, Canada's Environment and Climate Change Minister, the Honourable Catherine McKenna, wraps up her first official visit to China, with stops in Guangzhou, Foshan, and Beijing.  

Minister McKenna led a clean-technology sector business delegation to China to support Canadian entrepreneurs seeking opportunities for business-to-business partnerships in the growing Chinese market for clean-technology solutions. China is the world's fastest-growing clean- technology market, and Minister McKenna highlighted Canada's areas of expertise in the clean-technology sector and the opportunity for partnerships that will allow Canadian companies to create well-paying sustainable jobs.

Leading the clean- technology business delegation, Minister McKenna showcased Canadian climate solutions like a new Canadian-made zero-emission bus made by Canadian company Ballard Power Systems. She also unveiled the new Canada-China Technology Transfer Institute. The institute will be a major center in Guangdong province, for international collaboration in clean-technology research and development.

Minister McKenna officially opened the new consulate general of Canada in Guangzhou—an important trading and technology hub in China—and emphasized the importance Canada places on its relationship with China.

Minister McKenna also met with the Climate Change Division of the Guangdong Development and Reform Commission ‎to discuss Guangdong's successful approach to pricing pollution using a cap-and-trade system. One of the largest cap-and-trade systems in the world, it is already delivering results, having lowered emissions by almost 10 percent per year since its creation.

Minister McKenna concluded successful meetings with Chinese government leaders in her role as international executive vice-chair of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development. She reiterated the importance of Canada-China cooperation on climate change, echoing the commitments from the leaders' statements from visits to China and Canada, in August and September. She invited Minister Xie Zhenhua, Special Representative on Climate Change, to come to Canada in 2017 to co-chair the working group on climate change. Minister McKenna and Minister Chen Jining, China's Minister of Environmental Protection, agreed to establish an annual dialogue on the environment, making Canada the first country to have established such a dialogue. The dialogue will focus on ways the two countries can further international cooperation on important issues like air and soil health and climate-change solutions.

Minister McKenna invited the people of China to take part in Canada's 150^th celebration in 2017 by visiting Canada's national parks and historic sites to experience and learn more about Canada's heritage.

Quote

"Global markets are shifting towards cleaner growth: China is the fastest-growing clean-tech market in the world. And the Chinese government is showing leadership in addressing climate change across the board. This presents tremendous new opportunities for Canadian companies to export, expand, and create new jobs. Working with my clean-tech business delegation and with my Chinese counterparts, I look forward to building on our accomplishments from this week and keep working with our Chinese partners to build the new global clean economy."
– Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change

Quick facts

• Minister McKenna's first visit to China builds on and reinforces the agreement between the Prime Minister of Canada and the Premier of the State Council (September 1, 2016 and September 23, 2016) to cooperate in addressing climate change through the full and effective implementation of the Paris Agreement and to work together with international partners to strengthen the global response to climate change.
• China is the world's second-largest economy and Canada's second-largest single-country trading partner.
• Two-way merchandise trade between Canada and China was nearly $85.8 billion in 2015.
• Canada's two-way foreign direct-investment relationship with China reached $33 billion at the end of 2015.

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SOURCE Environment and Climate Change Canada

Contacts: Caitlin Workman, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, 819-938-9436; Media Relations, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 819-938-3338 or 1-844-836-7799 (toll free)