Montréal, October 30, 2015 – The Mayor of Montréal and President of the Montréal Metropolitan Community, the Hon. Denis Coderre will preside a trade mission to China from October 30 to November 6, 2015. As part of this mission, he will visit Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou as well as the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
Mayor Coderre’s trade mission to China coincides with the introduction of Air China’s first non-stop service between Beijing and Montréal, which Mayor Coderre will use, and the renewal of the twinning agreement that has brought Montréal and Shanghai together for more than 30 years. In this context, Mayor Coderre will head a large Montréal delegation made up of 70 representatives of the business community as well as the academic and cultural fields. This mission is organized in partnership with the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal and its team of experts from the World Trade Centre Montreal, and Montréal International, in association with the Canada China Business Council, whose annual conference will be held in Shanghai on November 2 and 3.
“Developing a greater relationship between our cities, businesses and institutions carries huge potential and mutual benefits, especially at the economic, academic and cultural levels. This week’s visit to China reflects our common desire to strengthen these ties, and the business and university representatives who are also part of this mission share my enthusiasm. Montréal will celebrate its 375th anniversary in 2017, and we will be pleased to welcome our Chinese friends and partners to celebrate this event with us,” said Mayor Coderre.
This mission on Chinese soil will enable Montréal to consolidate and expand commercial and political ties between Montréal and these dynamic and promising Chinese cities. In addition to bilateral meetings with his counterparts, the Mayor of Montréal will take part in various events to promote the many attractions of Montréal with business community as a creative city and a city of knowledge that is open to foreign investment. He also plans to support Montréal businesses, institutions and organizations wishing to pursue or initiate partnerships in China at specific business meetings, conventions, information seminars and official networking visits or activities.
“This mission is made up of the largest delegation of business people ever brought together by the Board of Trade in support of a mission by the Mayor of Montréal. This reflects the strong interest of Montréal businesses towards China. We felt that it was appropriate to take advantage of the launch, earlier this year, of the Beijing-Montréal direct flights, to accelerate the development of business relationships with this huge and changing market. The emergence of a society that is increasingly focused on consumer products creates new business opportunities for Montréal enterprises. Mayor Coderre’s leadership on this mission represents a valuable asset for local businesses,” said Mr. Michel Leblanc, President and CEO of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal.
“With a growing economy, China is an important source of foreign direct investment. We must position Greater Montréal’s strengths and distinctive advantages, including a pool of qualified talent, world-class universities, creativity and innovation in this huge market,” said Mr. Louis Arseneault, Vice President, Talent Attraction, Promotion and Communications, Montréal International. “This trade mission to China will also be an opportunity to launch Contact MTL: Greater Montreal Ambassadors Network, an initiative to promote Montréal’s international reputation on the Asian market,” added Arseneault.
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