P.E.I. renews partnership with Chinese province of Hainan

P.E.I. Premier Wade MacLauchlan and Hainan Provincial Committee Secretary Luo Baoming sign a renewed MOU of cooperation in Ottawa last week.

The first agreement between the two provinces was signed in June 2001.

"Hainan and P.E.I. are the smallest provinces in our respective countries, and our strong partnership allows us to think big as we look to increase our profiles globally," said MacLauchlan in a news release.

Luo said the agreement strengthens relations not only between Hainan and P.E.I., but also between Canada and China.

Two island provinces

Hainan is both the smallest and most southern province of China.

Like P.E.I., it is also an island province. There are about 200 islands in the provinces, but about 97 per cent of the province is Hainan Island.

It has a population of about 8.9 million, with more than two million in the capital city of Haikou.

Increasing trade

The province says the agreement is part of an ongoing strategy to increase trade and business with China, with a particular focus on education, electronic commerce, telecommunications, agricultural development and tourism.

China is currently P.E.I.'s 10th largest trading partner.

The province noted recent successes in China-P.E.I. trade, such as a partnership with China Gold Fortune to manufacture LEDs, the expansion of COWS ice cream, and the export of $6 million worth of lobster in 2015.

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