Chengdu, China, Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Thank you for welcoming Sharon and me so warmly. What a pleasure it is to meet with so many friends of Canada here in Chengdu.

When I think of the friendship that exists between China and Canada, I think of Norman Bethune, a Canadian who is of course well known in China for coming here to serve as a physician in the 1930s.

At a time when relations between our countries were not anywhere near the level they are today, Dr. Bethune showed how Chinese and Canadians can work together based on a common humanity.

However, there was another generation of Canadians—an earlier generation—that came thousands of miles across the ocean to China before Dr. Bethune.

Starting over 100 years ago, a group of Canadians came to Sichuan, China. Together, they opened the first dispensary in western China, founded the West China Union University, and spread western medical and health knowledge. They also started some of the first courses of higher education for women, and made important contributions to advancing women’s equality in China.

Like so many of you here, Dr. Bethune and medical missionaries to Sichuan before him focused on bettering the lives of others. Because of him and others like him, our people-to-people ties have grown steadily throughout our history.

Today, our two countries are partnering in a variety of ways. In trade, China is our second-largest partner. In education, almost a third of Canada’s international students come from China. And of course, who could forget the arrival in Canada of Er Shun and Da Mao—two pandas who left from right here in Chengdu.

Yet, despite all of our accomplishments, I am excited at the promise of what we might still do together. And that begins with all of you here. You, who recognize how important it is for countries like ours to work together.

We are collaborative because we know that is the best way to achieve success domestically and internationally.

This desire to work together is at the heart of our relationship, one that would not be expanding as rapidly without your dedication.

This gathering is cause for celebration. Together, you are making real contributions to Canada and to China, reaching out and forging new ties.

Together, it is up to us to create the smarter, more caring world to which we aspire. Let us strive to build fair, prosperous and inclusive societies in which equality of opportunity and excellence go hand in hand. 

Together, we have much to learn from each other, and I thank you for your contributions to our enduring friendship.