OTTAWA, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- "I'm very excited about the China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai and the opportunity that presents to Prince Edward Island exporters and for Canadians to engage with Chinese partners and with consumers," Canada's Prince Edward Island Premier Wade MacLauchlan told Xinhua Tuesday.
The premier is among a delegation of more than 600 Canadian federal ministers, provincial premiers and business people for the CIIE, China's first-ever fair of this kind scheduled for Nov. 5-10 in Shanghai.
The delegation will be led by Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Lawrence MacAulay, whose home province is Prince Edward Island.
MacLauchlan said he was "aware of the role of President Xi Jinping in launching this initiative" and "proud" that the Canadian delegation will be led by a Prince Edward Island-born federal minister.
The Canadian delegation is one of the largest from Europe and America, a clear sign of the great importance Canada attaches to the event.
China-Canada relations enjoy a solid foundation and bright prospects. The two countries, though at different stages of development, are highly complementary and hence natural partners of cooperation.
The bilateral trade volume, which hit 72.77 billion U.S. dollars in 2017, rose to 49.87 billion dollars in the first eight months of 2018, among which China's imports from Canada jumped 8.6 percent to 12.65 billion dollars, according to the Chinese embassy to Canada.
The CIIE is the latest move of China to promote trade liberalization and further open up its market.
Meanwhile, Canadian exporters are hoping to draw more potential buyers via the expo.
China now ranks as Prince Edward Island's second-largest export market, according to the latest provincial government report.
Upbeat about the fast-growing trade between the Island and China, MacLauchlan said: "I am looking forward to seeing all of the activities and building relationships that we will continue to pursue as we continue to grow."
"I will do everything to take advantage of this great trade expo. We have a number of businesses from Prince Edward Island that will be taking part ... So, look forward to the trade expo and wish everyone great success," the premier added.
