VANCOUVER - Premier Christy Clark met with His Excellency Mr. Wang Qishan, Vice Premier of the State Council of China, and a delegation of senior ranking Chinese officials to strengthen ties and continue to improve cultural and trade relations between B.C. and China.

Photos from the meeting (flickr.com)

"B.C. values its strong relationships with China and we want to maximize B.C.'s potential as a destination for Chinese investment and as a North American hub for trans-Pacific trade, business and cultural exchange," said Premier Clark. "This meeting provided an excellent opportunity to build on some of the successes resulting from our trade mission to China and explore further opportunities for co-operation between our governments."

As part of the BC Jobs Plan, in November 2011 Premier Christy Clark led the largest trade mission in the Province's history, promoting B.C. as a safe harbour for investment. The focus of the jobs and trade mission was to strengthen existing relationships between B.C., China and other Asian markets, open doors for new relationships and set the stage for future opportunities in the region.

Vice Premier Wang is one of four Vice-Premiers of the State Council serving under Premier Wen Jiabao. The State Council is the cabinet that oversees China's government, manages the state budget and is responsible for policy implementation from the national to the local level.

Quick Facts:

• China is B.C.'s second-largest trading partner after the U.S., with $12.7 billion in bilateral trade in 2010.
• Last year, B.C.'s exports to China reached $5.1 billion, an increase of 24 per cent from 2010 - and a 442 per cent increase since 2001.
• B.C. exports more goods and commodities to China than does any other Canadian province - more than 31 per cent of the national total.
• Today, more than 11 per cent of B.C.'s population can trace family roots to China.
• B.C. has a sister province relationship with Guangdong Province.

Learn More:

Canada Starts Here: The BC Jobs Plan: www.BCJobsPlan.ca

Statistics Canada: International Merchandise Trade, Sept. 2011: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/65-001-x/65-001-x2011009-eng.pdf

BC Stats: Monthly Export Data Table:

http://www.bcstats.gov.bc.ca/pubs/exp/expdata.pdf

Media Contact:

Government Communications and Public Engagement
Intergovernmental Relations Secretariat
250 356-7812