Strengthening trade ties
MP sees major economic, cultural benefits between West Nova and China
When West Nova Member of Parliament Colin Fraser talks about China, it’s with some measure of excitement. It’s all about culture, tourism, friendships, trust, and economic benefit on both sides.
The Canada brand is strong and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has completed two official visits to the world’s most populous country to build relationships with the Chinese. His last trip was in early December.
“I think the more we can continue to build on the ties that we’re making on all levels — municipal, provincial, and federal — is a positive thing,” said Fraser. “The Canada brand, I think, is really strong internationally right now, including in China, so I know the prime minister was well received and some good discussions happened.”
It’s early days, said Fraser, and building agreements takes time. But he’s hopeful.
“It takes time to get to a point where you can enter into the sort of formal discussions about free trade agreements or whatever,” said Fraser. “But every effort is being made to build those ties and to encourage foreign investment into Canada, but also to show the Chinese our products.”
When Trudeau visited in De- cember, there was a photo of him with a lobster.
“That’s really valuable for our area in particular,” Fraser said. “They came up with a deal on beef and pork products — a reduction on the tariffs on those to open up new markets. So the agricultural and fisheries sectors, in particular, are really going to benefit from increased trade ties to China.”
There are schools in China that use Nova Scotia’s school curriculum and later send those gradu- ates to Nova Scotia universities. Five middle school students from the Overseas Immersion Program of Suqian Suzhou Foreign Language School are in Bridgetown and more Chinese students will be coming to the area soon.
Fraser likes the idea of having more international students at universities in Nova Scotia.
Fraser also believes China’s emerging economy can help grow West Nova’s traditional primary industries, like farming and fishing.
“There is no question about it,” he said. “We put into force in 2017 a European trade deal that opened up a brand new market of 500 million people with no tariffs. We’ve already started to see the economic benefit of that in West Nova — eight per cent reduction in tariffs off lobsters, new markets for agricultural products.”
Now the new Trans- Pacific Partnership has been reached.
“So every time we have an ability to wisely open up new trade markets for our Canadian products, our area’s going to win because we have the best seafood in the world and we have amazing agriculture products that are in demand right now worldwide,” Fraser said.
He said business people from West Nova have gone to China and, in turn, have received business people from that country.
“I think the groundwork is being laid very wisely and I think, on a nation- to- nation basis, Canada’s brand is really strong right now and so everything the national government can do in China is helpful too,” the MP said.
Fraser believes it’s about more than trade. Nova Scotia resonates with the Chinese.
“The engagement that we’re having — cities and municipalities both in China and West Nova — I think is invaluable,” Fraser said. “The more we work, all together, the better off we’re going to be.”
He points out that the Chinese tourism market is the fastest growing tourism segment in the world.
“I think it was up over 10 per cent last year and I’d really like to see tourism increased in West Nova as a result of that.”