One of the strongest bridges linking China with Canada is not diplomacy or culture, but wheat trading -- more than four decades of it.
China and Canada have been in wheat trade for four decades, during which time China has imported 110 million tons of wheat valued at US$13.1 billion from Canada, accounting for 35 percent of its total wheat imports.
Traders from China and Canada gathered in Beijing on Tuesday to celebrate the official 40th anniversary of wheat-based relations, with officials from both sides lauding past successes and expressing hopes for future trade.
The bulk of wheat trade between the two countries occurs through co-operation between the China National Cereals, Oils and Foodstuffs Import and Export Corporation (COFCO) and the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB).
The two grain trading giants have maintained a good business relationship since 1960 and helped pave the way for the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Canada in 1970.
Grain imported from the CWB helped China pull through a severe grain shortages in the early 1960s. Since then, Canada has been China's most important wheat trading partner, according to Zhou Mingchen, chairman of COFCO.
Tuesday's 40th anniversary was significant because it represented a period of completely uninterrupted trade, said Greg Arason, president and CEO of the CWB.
Founded in 1935, CWB finally opened a Beijing office in 1994. In the time since trading began, the Canadian company has proven itself to be more than a simple trading partner.
CWB has constantly provided China with technical advice in the form of visiting experts, and, because of CWB, more than 1,000 Chinese experts have been invited to receive training at the Canadian International Grains Institute, where they have access to the latest technology and the experience of their Canadian counterparts.
The company has also been active in Chinese charity projects, including disaster-relief efforts. CWB made large donations to China in 1998, when the country suffered from heavy floods.
(China Daily 02/15/2001)
