Forest Products Industry

David Eby Premier of British Columbia, Canada was part of a trade mission to Asia is bringing back new opportunities to grow a stronger, more diversified economy and create good jobs throughout the province. Source: Timberbiz The 10-day economic tour promoted British Columbia’s strengths as a reliable trade partner that has what the world needs from critical minerals and clean energy to forestry and agriculture products, and the ports to deliver them. “This mission was about supporting BC jobs and building a British Columbia that will be the economic engine of a more independent Canada,” said Premier Eby. “Our trade relationships with the Indo-Pacific are exceptionally important right now, as we work to diversify our markets and become less reliant on the United States. “BC has a lot of advantages – our proximity to Asia, our abundance of natural resources, our talented and diverse workforce. These are all things that the world needs, and it was a great opportunity to showcase that to key trade partners.” During the mission, which included stops in Japan, Malaysia and South Korea, Premier Eby was accompanied by Lana Popham, Minister of Agriculture and Food, and Paul Choi, parliamentary secretary for Asia-Pacific trade. Representatives from 19 BC companies, universities and associations were part of the business delegation. The trade mission focused on strengthening relationships with governments, business leaders and investors, as well as promoting BC’s strengths in key sectors, such as clean energy, technology, wood and wood products, agrifood and critical minerals. Many of the meetings focused on plans to work with Japan, Malaysia and South Korea to support energy transitions through opportunities in clean energy. The mission also focused on promoting BC’s safe and sustainable agrifoods products. Advancing information sharing and knowledge exchange was also a key component of the mission. Multiple agreements were signed between BC and Korean universities. For example, the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University signed memorandums of understanding with Pohang University of Science and Technology to promote joint research, faculty and student exchanges and collaborative innovation. “We are extremely confident that our trade mission to Japan, Malaysia and South Korea will strengthen existing relationships and generate new opportunities across the region,” Choi said. “British Columbia has a highly efficient network of trade and investment representatives throughout Asia, as well as the products and services that the growing Asian economies need. “We will continue to promote our advantages as a key trading partner with our friends in the Asia-Pacific region to grow our trade presence there.” The mission is part of BS’s Trade Diversification Strategy, which outlines actions to increase trade and investment opportunities in existing markets, such as Japan and South Korea, as well as in new and emerging markets, such as Malaysia.

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