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In 1858, The first Chinese gold-miners arrive in British Columbia from San Francisco. Chinese miners join thousands of other prospectors in the trek northward along the Fraser River. Many Chinese people who came to Canada in the nineteenth century are from Guangdong province in southern China. Their historical arrival marks the establishment of a continuous Chinese community in Canada. Long before China and Canada established diplomatic relations, two-way trade had acted as a launching pad for frequent contacts and better mutual understanding between two countries and peoples, which led to the formal recognition of each other in 1970. The Canadian Wheat Board initiated trade relations between China and Canada in the early 1960s by exporting wheat to China which at the time was afflicted with draught at home and embargo from abroad. 1. Brief Introduction of Canada ¨C China Economic relations Bilateral trade in 1970 was only $161 million. Thirty years later, trade volume between China and Canada in 2000 reached a record of US$ 7 billion, an increase of 46 times. In the February, 2000, Prime Minister Chretien led the second Team Canada mission, the largest ever, with more than 600 business people to China. The visit is a great success. We signed 294 business contracts, agreements and letters of intent worth $5.7 billion, covering the fields of environmental protection, agriculture, information technology, communication, education, energy, financial service and medical service. By the end of 2000, Canadian direct investment in China amounted to US$ 2.5 billion with over 4700 projects. In June, 2001, China WorldBest Ltd. opened a textile plant in Drummondville, Quebec, with total investment of $45 million, the biggest investment so far that China has made in Canada. This manufacturing plant will provide 300 employment opportunities which will undoubtedly be a big boost to the local economy.
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