Governor General to Undertake Official Visit to the People's Republic of China

OTTAWA, June 30, 2017 /CNW/ - At the request of the Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, will undertake an official visit to the People's Republic of China from July 10 to 14, 2017.

"I am very much looking forward to conducting an official visit to the People's Republic of China to further strengthen the long-standing and comprehensive relationship between Canada and China," said His Excellency. "My visits to the cities of Chongqing, Guiyang and Beijing will allow Canada to develop new partnerships and reinforce our existing ties in the areas of education and research collaboration, innovation, agri-food and tourism."

The Governor General's first stop will be in Chongqing, where he will meet with Mr. Sun Zhengcai, the Party Secretary of Chongqing, to explore ways to expand and deepen co-operation between Canada and Chongqing. At Chongqing University, His Excellency will participate in a round-table discussion with presidents and researchers of Chinese universities to strengthen research collaborations in science, technology and innovation.

The Governor General will visit the China Express Airlines Training Center, where he will have an opportunity to test a flight simulator made by a Montréal-based company. The Governor General will also visit Raffles City Chongqing, a development project designed by Canadian architect Moshe Safdie. To experience Chongqing cuisine and culture, His Excellency will take part in a hotpot dinner with a group of Chinese students preparing to study in Canada.

In Guiyang, His Excellency will meet with Mr. Chen Min'er, the Party Secretary of Guizhou, to explore opportunities to strengthen ties between Canada and Guiyang. He will also offer remarks at a panel discussion and film screening on ethnic minorities and Indigenous peoples.

In the capital city of Beijing, the Governor General will meet with His Excellency Xi Jinping, President of the People's Republic of China, as well as with Premier Li Keqiang and Mr. Cai Qi, the Party Secretary of Beijing, to discuss ways of strengthening and expanding Canada's relationship with China.

The Governor General will offer opening remarks at a panel discussion on senior care hosted by Beijing Hospital in partnership with Baycrest Global Solutions, and will visit One Plus One, a local non-profit organization that provides services to people with disabilities. At Tsinghua University, His Excellency will meet with the university's leadership and tour a joint Canada-China water purification research lab.

His Excellency will also lace up his skates for a friendly game of hockey with a youth group and attend an event hosted by JD.com focused on promoting tourism as well as Canadian food and consumer products available on their website.

Members of the public can follow the Governor General's official visit to the People's Republic of China on Facebook and Twitter, and online at www.gg.ca, where speeches, photos and videos will be posted.

This itinerary is subject to change without notice.
To obtain the latest updates, please visit www.gg.ca.

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SOURCE Governor General of Canada

Media information: Josephine Laframboise, Rideau Hall Press Office, 613-990-9324, 613-668-1929 (cell), [email protected]