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Canada eyes go-west drive
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CANADIAN Prime Minister Jean Chretien, whose 600-strong “Team Canada" delegation is the largest Canadian trade mission ever, yesterday said in Beijing that he hoped China would consider Canada its special partner in developing China's western region.
Premier Zhu Rongji and Chretien, who arrived in Beijing on Saturday afternoon for a one-week official visit, held formal talks on a heavy economic note yesterday afternoon.
Following the talks, the two premiers witnessed the signing of three government-to-government agreements.
Earlier Chretien attended a luncheon together with Minister Zeng Peiyan in charge of the State Development Planning Commission and local officials from more than 10 provinces and autonomous regions of West China.
Chretien said Canadian enterprises have already taken an active part in the development of West China through co-operative projects. He said he himself was pleased to be in Beijing to jointly explore ways to further support the development goal of West China.
He said that Canadian businesses enjoy expertise and technology in fields like mining, energy, transportation, telecommunication and agriculture, and this would fit the development priorities of China.
Zeng said China would open up its western areas to the outside world to attract more foreign capital, technology and human resources for its development.
Chretien heads a delegation of more than 600 people, including several chief executives of major corporations. It is the largest mission ever sent by Canada to a foreign country in its diplomatic history.
Although small and medium-sized enterprises make up some 60 or 70 per cent of the total participation, the list of delegation members reads like a Who's Who of Canadian business.
Several business agreements are expected to be signed tomorrow including Canadian participation in the Three Gorges Dam project on the Yangtze River, sources said.(SD-Xinhua)
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