China grants approved tourism status to Canada
The Chinese government has finally granted Canada “approved destination status.” More than 134 countries already have China’s approved destination status.
Stephen Harper is visiting China for the first time this week since becoming Canada’s Prime Minister in February 2006. On Thursday, the two countries issued a joint statement announcing a “significant new era” in their relationship, but not before Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao publicly scolded Harper for taking too long to call, being the last of the G8 leaders to visit China. It’s noted that U.S. President Obama has just completed his first official trip to China, visiting during his first year as President.
However, China and Canada came to some agreement on Thursday that should move bilateral relations forward. Along with giving approved destination status to Canada, which Ottawa has long sought for more than 10 years, China will open a new consulate in Montreal. With China’s growing middle-class looking to spend its disposable income on travel, an estimated 100 million tourists are expected to come out of the country, making China one of the top three outbound tourism markets in the world by 2020. Sources say that the approved destination status means more than US$100 million of new business annually for Canada’s ailing tourism industry. Being on China’s approved destination list would increase Chinese tourism to Canada by a projected 50 percent by 2015. The U.S. received China’s approved destination status in December 2007, making it one of 134 countries already on the list at that time to reap the benefits of Chinese tourism.
Both Canada and China will work together on clean energy, energy efficiency and green technologies. There is also a renewed agreement to promote two-way trade, investment and cooperation on green mining technology. Canada exported $5.8-billion of natural resources to China in 2008, with minerals and metals accounting for 38.3 percent.
China grants tourism status to Canada – a CCTV Beijing news video report 04 Dec 2009:
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