With Canada-China relations at a low point, and with mounting China-US tensions, what kind of a trade relationship should Canada aspire to have with Xi Jinping’s China? What are the short-term and long-term challenges and global influences, and what approaches should Canada consider? This talk will explore these questions, as well as the current state of Canada’s relations with China.

The featured speaker, Philip Calvert, grew up in Prince George and is a graduate of Prince George Secondary School. He spent 34 years in Canada’s Foreign Service, with three postings in Beijing (including as Deputy Ambassador), as well as an assignment as Ambassador to Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. In Global Affairs Canada he was Director General for North Asia, a Director in the Trade Policy Branch, and Deputy Chief Negotiator for China’s accession to the World Trade Organization. He is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Asia-Pacific Initiatives at the University of Victoria, and a Senior Fellow at the China Institute at the University of Alberta. He has a Ph.D in Chinese history from the University of Washington.