Canada Commercial Corporation, a state-owned company that promotes international trade and commerce, opened a representative office in Wuhan on 26 January. This is its first presence in China’s interior. According to the Canadian Consulate General in Shanghai, who attended the opening ceremony, Canadian investment in Wuhan stood at US240m last year alone. The investments were in the agriculture, food production, transport and auto parts sectors.

The new rep office is expected to promote further co-operation in education, information technology and the service industries. It will also assist local companies to invest in Canada. Last June, Wuhan Iron and Steel, one of China’s major steel producers, invested Rmb1.6bn in an iron ore mine in eastern Canada.