Long-Lasting Bond Continues to Flourish
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SPECIAL REPORT INSIDE 11-PAGE SPONSORED SECTION IN CO-OPERATION WITH DISCOVERY REPORTS Canada Country Report SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 2011 Long-lasting bond continues to flourish Country’s strong ties with Hong Kong are based on widespread family, business Vancouver’s Lions Gate Bridge is a familiar landmark to generations of Hongkongers and educational links, writes Al Campbell who have made the city their home. f all the Canadians living in and radio stations, and print Hong Kong were sent home, it’s publications. estimated they could form Other businesses, among others, Canada’s 16th largest city. include Wing Wing, which exports Such are the strong ties Chinese-style pork sausages to Asia Ibetween Canada and Hong Kong, a from its Vancouver base; Tom Lee November survey by the Asia-Pacific Music, which has stores throughout Foundation (APF) found that there British Columbia; and GolfBC, a were 295,930 Canadians living here. chain of 12 clubs in British Columbia The Vancouver-based think tank and Hawaii, owned by the Chan found in its survey of nearly 36,000 brothers, Tom and Caleb. local households – representing 1.5 Hong Kong developers are also per cent of 2.34 million households – changing the Canadian landscape. that about 7.85 per cent had at least Aspac Developments, a private one Canadian over the age of 18. company owned by the Kwok “Hong Kong is Asia’s most brothers of Sung Hung Kai Canadian city,” says Yuen Pau Woo, Properties, has moved on from president and CEO of APF Canada. transforming downtown “People-to-people ties between Vancouver’s Coal Harbour to Canada and Hong Kong are based creating Village Green, a massive on extensive family, business and mixed-used residential project next education linkages. They are an to Richmond’s Olympic Oval. asset in trans-Pacific business, Concord Pacific, a company diplomatic and socio-cultural started by Victor Li and now owned relations that deserve greater by fellow Hongkonger Terry Hui, has recognition in Canada.” several projects in British Columbia, While the influx of mainlanders, and the Toronto waterfront and in and their subsequent investment in Calgary. Likewise, Henderson everything from property to mines Development (Canada) has been to the Alberta oil sands project, has active in residential and commercial been headline news in Canada, they projects in British Columbia and are following a beaten path Ontario. established by the early migrants Richard Lee, the British from Hong Kong and Guangdong. Columbia Parliamentary Secretary With Statistics Canada reporting for the Asia-Pacific Initiative, says a population last year of 1.3 million Canada-Hong Kong ties run deep. Chinese-Canadians living in a As Hong Kong is a gateway to the country of 33.5 million people, the mainland, so British Columbia is reach of Hongkongers throughout Canada’s Pacific gateway, and there Canada is vast through a variety of are many connections to help with business and social interests. Sino-Canada trade. Far from the early settlers who “Hong Kong people here are well established corner stores, laundries established and they can help this president, is confident trade will It still maintains a significant level of business operating in Hong Kong broad in Hong Kong about what president Canada. She adds that and restaurants, the newer trade,” says the Kennedy Town continue to rise with Hong Kong relevance, vis-a-vis Canadian and the mainland, the ties goes on in Canada.” Cathay Pacific Canada employs generation of Hong Kong businesses native. “There’s a lot of connections playing an important role. businesses trying to do business traditionally have been social and A strong indication of the ties is more than 700 people, making the in Canada include Li Ka-shing’s between Hong Kong, British “I know a lot of Canadian in Asia. Hong Kong has a great family oriented,” says McDonald, a Cathay Pacific, which has country significant for passengers Husky Energy, one of the country’s Columbia and the mainland.” companies are starting to go direct infrastructure and good body tax service partner in the Vancouver experienced steady growth in its 28 and cargo, another growth area. biggest oil companies; Asia-Pacific According to China’s General to Shanghai, Beijing and bypassing of knowledge that you can office of PricewaterhouseCoopers. years of flying to Canada. “Seafood and other fresh Marine Containers, owned by Leung Administration of Customs, bilateral Hong Kong but, the reality is, Hong leverage off.” “You look at the number of “With Hong Kong’s continuous produce is a significant part of the Maritime Group; and Richmond, trade between the two countries last Kong is still a great base to access Barry McDonald, a past people in Hong Kong who may not attraction as a destination and a cargo moving from Vancouver, British Columbia’s Aberdeen year was US$37.1 billion. The stated mainland markets, particularly the president of the Canadian Chamber only be citizens [of Canada], but convenient gateway for passengers while dry goods are more dominant Centre, a popular shopping mall in goal is to hit US$60 billion by 2015. Pearl River Delta region,” says the of Commerce in Hong Kong, views have gone to university here, or have travelling onward to the mainland from Toronto,” Lau says. the Vancouver suburbs owned by With US$4.5 billion in trade Otis Gold Corp president. the ties as more social. family ties. and Asia, we believe the additional “On the inbound flights to Thomas Fung Wing-fat. The Sun between the two countries in “But we are also continuing to “Although we are seeing Hong “You can have more interesting capacity we put in Toronto and Canada, we carry mainly electronics, Hung Kai Finance scion also owns January this year, Craig Lindsay, the see more Canadian businesses use Kong and mainland entrepreneurs discussions about Canada in Hong Vancouver through aircraft garments, plus a variety of other the Fairchild Group, a national Hong Kong Canada Business Hong Kong as their base to jump setting up in Vancouver and Kong than you can here for that upgrades will be timely,” says goods originating from the media chain comprising television Association’s Vancouver section into other Southeast Asian markets. Toronto, and some Canadian matter. It’s just the awareness is so Lavinia Lau, Cathay Pacific’s vice- mainland.” Whales add to Vancouver Island’s timeless charm Ed Peters swim on past Tofino, up to a dozen birds that make the area their home, that have miraculously been swept take up residence, spending the while the comical-looking tufted undamaged by the currents all the There can be few greater contrasts summer moving from bay to bay, puffin is a popular crowd-pleaser. way from Asia. For the hikers with than Vancouver and neighbouring before moving into one of their A short boat or plane trip from their dogs, it’s the uninterrupted Vancouver Island. The former is a favourite feeding grounds in Tofino leads to Hot Springs Cove, vistas, the firm sand beneath their fresh Pacific capital city, bursting Clayoquot Sound. where heated water bubbles up in a feet, and air that is fresh and pure with confidence, while the latter – an When the main body migrates series of pools from underground enough to taste. hour’s ferry ride away – is a gentle, south again to breed and give birth, springs in a 100 per cent natural A major part of the charm of rugged mass where the pace of life the Tofino resident whales join up alfresco jacuzzi. Similarly Tofino is its distinct small-town rolls with the breakers that pile in and swim off with them. Many of spectacular are the rainforests where ambience. The airport – built to from the Pacific Ocean. Tofino’s former shrimp fishermen centuries-old Sitka spruce trees, counter possible enemy invasion in It’s a part of British Columbia have converted their boats and now some more than three metres in the second world war – is about as that many visitors often skate by en run whale-watching tours, offering a diameter, tower 90 metres high, low-key as it’s possible to get. The Canada’s war dead are remembered each year at Sai Wan. Photo: Martin Chan route to the province’s more guaranteed sighting or a voucher – forming a thick, almost eerie adjacent golf course runs to just nine prominent attractions, but for valid for 100 years – for a second, canopy. holes and is described as Vancouverites – and particularly its free trip. If nature is Tofino’s greatest “challenging”. On and around Main sizeable Chinese population – the Some 14 metres long and attraction, the place is at its most Street, there’s a liquor outlet, a Veterans remember island ranks as their own backyard. weighing up to 40 tonnes, these elemental on Chesterman Beach. church, a few stores and souvenir And it’s no small coincidence leviathans on their annual odyssey Even on busy days, its broad shops, and a clutch of restaurants. that aircraft flying in from Hong provide watchers with an experience expanse appears deserted. It has a Everybody knows everybody Battle of Hong Kong Kong bound for Vancouver that can only be described as different appeal for all its many else, from the surfers, whose life is International coast right above the awesome. visitors. For the surfers, encased in the beach with a little work thrown island’s tiny western port of Tofino, An Inukshuk sculpture in English The grey whales are just the most wetsuits and with eyes fixed firmly in to keep the dollars coming, to the This year will see the 70th who was captured on Christmas their first Canadian landfall since Bay, across from Vancouver Island.