2016年CRI Analysts: more opportunities ahead for Canada, China

 

China and Canada have announced the first steps toward the possible creation of a bilateral¹ free-trade agreement.

Canadian MP Geng Tan, the first Chinese-born member of parliament with Trudeau's ruling Liberals, says the idea of a free-trade agreement comes at a time when Canada's economic growth has been somewhat stagnant² in recent years.

"Canada has fallen behind, in terms of trade, in terms of relations, in terms of import and export. And for the past ten years, we didn't do much to promote the bilateral relationship with China."

Chinese and Canadian firms have already signed deals worth more than a billion US dollars earlier this month at the G20 in Hangzhou, covering everything from seafood³ to clean technology.

Pedro Antunes is the deputy chief economist⁴ of the Conference Board of Canada, which is the Canadian government's senior economic think-tank.

He argues more ties with China makes sense for Canada at the moment.

"If you see continued demand of 6.5 percent - let's say, if that's the new growth path for China - that's still a very strong opportunity for Canada. And I would argue that there are lots more that can be done."

Chinese acquisitions in Canada have hit roadblocks in the past, including the 14.5-billion US dollar Chinese takeover of Canadian oil sands company Nexen, which did eventually go through.

The previous Canadian administration under Conservative Stephen Harper set limits on Chinese access to the Canadian market, something the current Trudeau administration is considering adjusting.

Pedro Antunes with the Conference Board of Canada says he believes this might be the right time for the Chinese government to press this issue with the Trudeau government.

"I think we are opening up more and more and realizing that in fact some of these mergers⁵ and some of the acquisitions are essentially⁶ to look for opportunities in Canada."

Despite a broader downturn in global trade, the movement of goods and services between China and Canada bucked⁷ that trend.

Chinese investment into Canada increased by some 126-percent last year.

Beyond trade, Chinese Premier⁸ Li Keqiang and Justin Trudeau have also discussed the idea of creating an extradition⁹ treaty between the two countries.

This may be a more difficult task to achieve, as Canada has remained steadfast¹⁰ in its policy of not extraditing criminal suspects to countries who have the death penalty, unless the Canadian side has been given an assurance the suspect will not be put to death.

As such, Canada is high on the list of destinations where Chinese criminal suspects choose to flee.

At this month's G20, the two sides did announce the creation of annual meetings between the two sides to discuss security issues, as well as and economics.

1 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

2 stagnant   

adj.不流动的，停滞的，不景气的

参考例句：

• Due to low investment,industrial output has remained stagnant.由于投资少，工业生产一直停滞不前。
• Their national economy is stagnant.他们的国家经济停滞不前。

3 seafood   

n.海产食品，海味，海鲜

参考例句：

• There's an excellent seafood restaurant near here.离这儿不远有家非常不错的海鲜馆。
• Shrimps are a popular type of seafood.小虾是比较普遍的一种海味。

4 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

5 mergers   

n.（两个公司的）合并( merger的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Mergers fall into three categories: horizontal, vertical, and conglomerate. 合并分为以下三种：横向合并，纵向合并和混合合并。 来自辞典例句
• Many recent mergers are concentrated within specific industries, particularly in retailing, airlines and communications. 现代许多合并企业集中进行某些特定业务，在零售业、民航和通讯业中更是如此。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

6 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

7 bucked   

adj.快v.（马等）猛然弓背跃起( buck的过去式和过去分词 )；抵制；猛然震荡；马等尥起后蹄跳跃

参考例句：

• When he tried to ride the horse, it bucked wildly. 当他试图骑上这匹马时，它突然狂暴地跃了起来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The plane bucked a strong head wind. 飞机顶着强烈的逆风飞行。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

8 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

9 extradition   

n.引渡（逃犯）

参考例句：

• The smuggler is in prison tonight,awaiting extradition to Britain.这名走私犯今晚在监狱，等待引渡到英国。
• He began to trouble concerning the extradition laws.他开始费尽心思地去想关于引渡法的问题。

10 steadfast   

adj.固定的，不变的，不动摇的；忠实的；坚贞不移的

参考例句：

• Her steadfast belief never left her for one moment.她坚定的信仰从未动摇过。
• He succeeded in his studies by dint of steadfast application.由于坚持不懈的努力他获得了学业上的成功。