List of ambassadors of Canada to China

Last updated

Ambassador of Canada to the People's Republic of China
Incumbent
Jennifer May [1]
since September 23, 2022
Global Affairs Canada
Reports to Minister of Foreign Affairs
Seat Embassy of Canada, Beijing
Appointer Governor General of Canada
FormationNovember 5, 1942
First holder Thomas Clayton Davis

The ambassador of Canada to China is the official representative of the Canadian government to the government of China. The official title for the ambassador is Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Canada to the People's Republic of China. The current Ambassador of Canada is Jennifer May who was appointed on the advice of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on September 22, 2022. [2]

Contents

The Embassy of Canada is located at 19 Dongzhimenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District, 100600 Beijing 100600, China. [3]

History of diplomatic relations

Canada was originally represented in China by the British ambassador, who looked after the interests of the entire British Empire and later the British Commonwealth. Canadian participation in World War II made it desirable to establish separate representation in China. Diplomatic relations between Canada and China were established on November 6, 1941, with the first ambassador, Victor Wentworth Odlum, appointed on the advice of Prime Minister W.L. Mackenzie King on November 5, 1942. [4] A Canadian Embassy was opened in the temporary capital of Chongqing. [5] The embassy was then moved to the permanent Nationalist capital of Nanjing in 1946.

The Canadian ambassador remained in Nanjing after Communist troops took the city on April 23, 1949. Canada then maintained diplomatic relations with Communist China at the chargé level from July 1949 to February 1951, when the Korean War made it impossible for diplomatic relations to continue. Canada chose not to post an ambassador to the Nationalist capital of Taipei, maintaining relations through the Nationalist Chinese ambassador in Ottawa. [6]

Canada recognized the People's Republic of China as the sole legitimate government of China on October 13, 1970, [4] and a Canadian Embassy was opened in Beijing on June 10, 1971.

Ronning, Collins, Small and Menzies (born in Zhangde, Henan) were Chinese born diplomats who possessed significant Chinese cultural knowledge, and in the case of Ronning, near-native language skills. Paynter, Mulroney and Saint-Jacques had served as diplomats to China prior to being appointed ambassador.

John Lawrence Paynter died in Vancouver 10 months into his posting while still serving as Canada's Ambassador to China.

List of Canadian ambassadors to China

No.NameTerm of office Career Prime Minister nominated byRef.
Start Date PoC. End Date
1 Victor Wentworth Odlum November 5, 1942May 11, 1943October 4, 1946Career W. L. Mackenzie King
(1935-1948)
- George Sutton Patterson
(Chargé d'Affaires)
October 4, 1946March 1945Career
2 Thomas Clayton Davis October 24, 1946May 21, 1947April 1, 1949Non-Career [7]
- Chester Alvin Ronning
(Chargé d'Affaires)
April 1, 1949February 26, 1951Career Louis St. Laurent
(1948-1957)
[7]
- John MacLeod Fraser
(Chargé d'Affaires)
January 11, 1971June 10, 1971Career Pierre Elliott Trudeau
(1968-1979)
3Ralph Edgar CollinsApril 8, 1971June 10, 1971September 17, 1972Career
4Charles John SmallJune 8, 1972October 27, 1972October 8, 1976Career
5Arthur Redpath MenziesJune 29, 1976November 3, 1976September 23, 1980Career
6Michel GauvinSeptember 12, 1980November 14, 1980Career
7Richard Vessot GorhamMay 31, 1984September 5, 19841987Career
8Earl Gordon DrakeSeptember 10, 1987October 16, 1987October 5, 1990Career Brian Mulroney
(1984-1993)
9 M. Fred Bild September 12, 1990October 11, 1990December 4, 1994Career
10 John Lawrence Paynter December 23, 1994October 31, 1995Career Jean Chrétien
(1993-2003)
11 Howard Balloch February 13, 1996Career
12Colin Russell
(Consul - General)
July 10, 1997Career
13Stewart Beck
(Consul - General)
June 10, 1999Career
14 Joseph Caron July 16, 2001September 6, 2001July 28, 2005Career
15 Robert G. Wright August 19, 2005August 29, 2005June 2009Career Paul Martin
(2003-2006)
16 Doreen Steidle
(Consul - General)
July 4, 2008Career Stephen Harper
(2006-2015)
17David MulroneyMay 27, 2009August 28, 2009Summer 2012Career [8]
18James Ian Burchett
(Consul - General)
March 20, 2012Career
19 Guy Saint-Jacques September 24, 2012December 17, 2012October 2016Career [8]
20 John McCallum March 7, 2017March 17, 2017January 26, 2019Non-Career Justin Trudeau
(2015-Present)
Jim NickelJanuary 27, 2019September 4, 2019Career
21 Dominic Barton September 3, 2019November 22, 2019December 6, 2021Non-Career [9]
22Jennifer MaySeptember 22, 2022November 15, 2022Career [2] [10]

Embassy

The current embassy is located at 19 Dongzhimenwai Dajie in the Chaoyang District.

Official Address in English:
19 Dongzhimenwai Dajie,
Chaoyang District,
100600,
People's Republic of China

Official Address in Simplified Chinese:
中国 北京市 100600
朝阳区
东直门外大街19号

See also

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References

  1. "Jennifer May, Ambassador to the People's Republic of China". Global Affairs Canada. Sep 23, 2022. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Orders In Council PC 2022-1007". orders-in-council.canada.ca. Government of Canada. September 22, 2022. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  3. Canada, Global Affairs (2021-07-20). "Embassy of Canada to China, in Beijing". GAC. Retrieved 2023-10-25.
  4. 1 2 DeLong 2020, p. 26.
  5. Shyu, Larry N. (2008). "Diplomatic relations through wartime alliance: the Republic of China's relations with Canada". Journal of Modern Chinese History. 2 (2): 185. doi:10.1080/17535650802489492. S2CID   145486410. However, formal diplomatic relations were not established until 1942, when Canada and the Republic of China (ROC) became wartime allies in their common fight against the Axis powers.
  6. Hilliker, John; Barry, Donald (1995). Canada's Department of External Affairs. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press. p.  56. ISBN   9780773507388. The Nationalist Chinese embassy remained in Ottawa, but Canada did not send a representative to the government in Taiwan (Formosa).
  7. 1 2 Hilliker, John; Barry, Donald (1995). Canada's Department of External Affairs. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press. p.  55. ISBN   9780773507388. Hampered by communications problems, the ambassador, T. C. Davis, had to borrow US dollars from private sources, such as the Shell Petroleum Company, to keep the mission operating under the new regime. He was instructed to return to Ottawa in July 1949, leaving the first secretary, Chester Ronning, to take over as chargé d'affaires.
  8. 1 2 "Canada names Guy Saint-Jacques ambassador to China". CBC.ca. 2012-09-26. Retrieved 2012-09-26.
  9. "Canada's ambassador to China steps down as Ottawa faces pressure from Biden administration - National | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  10. Canada, Global Affairs (2021-07-20). "Jennifer May, Ambassador to the People's Republic of China". GAC. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
Bibliography