British Columbia Premier David Eby says his first-ever trade trip to China will focus on pitching the province’s forestry products and energy sector around LNG development, approaching the mission with both excitement and caution.
Eby says China is the province’s second largest trading partner, and expanding relationships beyond the United States with the goal of doubling international trade over the coming decade.
He says U.S. tariffs are “really hurting” the province’s forestry sector, while a lot of jobs in B.C. are also dependent on the relationship with China and he hopes to see Chinese tariffs currently impacting the province lifted, including on seafood sector.
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Eby says he’s received briefings from both the RCMP and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service in advance of the trip to ensure “our team is fully aware of how to minimize risk and to maximize opportunities while visiting.
He says the government didn’t release his full itinerary for the trip to China to avoid giving competitors in other provinces and countries a potential “unfair advantage,” as the mission seeks to drum up customers and deals for B.C. companies.
Eby says the “really big fish” he’s seeking to land on the trip will see him meeting with PetroChina to discuss the second phase of the massive LNG facility expansion in Kitimat, B.C., with an impending final investment decision on the project expected later this year.
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