Monday, July 5, 2010

Iffy Too Late to the Party

On the heels of the GG's visit to China and the G8/G20 meetings in which PM Harper made progress  promoting trade even signed a deal where China would once again accept our beef, Iffy is courting China. Wants to get closer saying there should be more trade. Gee, Iffy's a little late out of the gate. PM Harper is already getting those very things done with China. 
Two weeks ago, Prime Minister Stephen Harper promoted an enhanced trading partnership at a state dinner in Ottawa with Chinese President Hu Jintao. And this week, Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff is touring China saying the ties between the two nations should be taken to a new level.
Chinese companies are about to invest billions in our oil and gas industry.
Chinese companies are set to spend billions more on Canadian oil and gas properties in coming years, as the resource-hungry nation scours the world for energy, the executive in charge of Canadian operations for one of China’s major state-owned oil firms says.
President Hu Jintao says China  also wants to double trade with Canada to the tune of $60 billion by 2015.
China, the world's biggest exporting nation, wants to double its trade with Canada to $60 billion by 2015, President Hu Jintao said on Thursday.
 
Hu made his remarks during a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, whose Conservative government is trying hard to boost ties with Beijing.
"I have agreed with Prime Minister Harper that we should take active measures to make our countries' two-way trade volume reach a target of $60 billion by 2015," said Hu, who noted that bilateral trade last year totaled $29 billion.
They also opened up their border to Canadian beef again after the BSE crisis.
Agriculture - China has reopened its borders to Canadian beef, seven years after mad cow disease was found in an Alberta animal.
  One hopes Iffy doesn't ruin the progress that has been made by PM Harper's government and the GG. 
Meantime,  Quebec MP Denis Coderre wants to bring the World Cup to Canada. Good luck to him!
La Presse says it has learned that Mr. Coderre would like to revisit the concept once the current World Cup has ended