Politics doesn't get in the way of trade and cooperation

The longer I speak to family, friends, and former media and PR colleagues in my home province, the more I learn that British Columbia is heavily targeting China, and the Pacific Rim in general, for business.

In a meeting Zhongnanhai conducted with B.C. Olympic Games Secretariat Annette Antoniak, we learned that the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games committee (VANOC) will open a promotional pavilion at the Beijing Urban Planning Museum near Tiananmen Square. As part of Vancouver's efforts in Beijing, they are offering 45 work-term positions in Beijing in the leadup to the Beijing games. Needless to say, these postings have generated immense interest among government employees and others in B.C.

Now we find out Premier Gordon Campbell will be coming back to China -- his fourth visit (this posting is from Public Eye Online):

Today, Premier Gordon Campbell will embark on his fourth mission to Asia - making stopoffs in the Chinese cities of Shanghai and Guangzhou. A news release announcing the trip explains Premier Campbell will be promoting "B.C.'s expertise in green technology and life sciences, as well as opportunities in trade, education and investment." And it looks he may have his educational work cut out for him. According to documents posted yesterday on BC Bid, some of our province's "lesser known attributes" in China include "our cosmpolitan culture, our wealth of business opportunities, our unique geographical positioning and our wide array of tourism experiences." So what are British Columbia's better known attributes then? The documents are part of an attempt to find a contractor who can provide administrative support planning services for the B.C. Canada Pavilion at the Beijing 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games.

I often wonder how Canadian leaders are greeted when they come to China, considering the plethora of outstanding issues between the two countries. That being said, Annette Antoniak told us that Chinese leaders, and BOCOG, have been wonderful hosts and more than helpful in assisting VANOC with setting up the 2010 Pavilion in Beijing.

That's good news to us, and we look forward to visiting when it opens next May.