Canadian envoy settles into Beijing
Canada’s top envoy to China has spent three busy weeks in the country since he arrived in Beijing last month on a mission to promote stronger ties between the two countries.
“We want to do more,” John McCallum, Canada’s new ambassador to China, told President Xi Jinping on behalf of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau when he presented his credentials on March 17, no more than 24 hours after arriving in Beijing.
“More, more, more,” McCallum repeated in Mandarin.
“That includes more trade, more investment, more tourists and more cooperation on environment, which is a very good area for us to work together,” he said when meeting the media on Thursday.
He also told Xi a little story in Mandarin about how his attachment to China can be explained by the three numbers 100, 50 and 40.
“My wife is 100 percent Chinese,my three sons are 50 percent Chinese, and the people of Markham where I come from in Canada, who elected me, are 40 percent Chinese,” the ambassador said in English and Mandarin.
McCallum said he has walked around Beijing a lot with his wife.
“My wife and I are both very excited to be in China today because I think there are huge opportunities for strengthening the ties between Canada and China, that is exactly what we want to do,” he said.
In addition to Beijing, the new ambassador has already visited southwestern China and plans to visit Tianjin on Friday, and Shanghai and Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, next week.
The 67-year-old will spend his birthday on Sunday on the train to Shanghai.
McCallum now spends six hours every week learning Mandarin because he hopes “next time you will hear more Mandarin”.