Results from the
Canada-China Business Survey 2020/2021

On October 28, 2021, at 13:00 EDT, CCBC released the results of its 2020-2021 Canada-China Business Survey, which examines the performance of and challenges for Canadian companies’ business with China. Conducted in partnership with the Rotman Institute for International Business, the survey was fielded in August and early September. This year’s survey resulted in three takeaways:

• • • The operating environment is ever more difficult, because it’s also more political.
    • Despite the difficulty, companies with an in-China presence are not only doing fine, they are planning on expanding. China is determined to become the world’s largest economy, which creates this environment for growth.
    • The inability for people to move across borders is an issue for sectors that would otherwise be growing in China. China’s massive consumer market and demand for much that Canada exports continues to drive companies to develop, maintain, and expand their China business. Diversification does not happen overnight, especially diversification away from a country that supplies a third of the world’s incremental GDP growth each year. Nonetheless, Canadian companies recognize the challenges and risks of this complex market and are slowly building alternative market options.

This report is one of two new economic reports CCBC launched at its 43rd AGM & Business Forum, the other being China’s Economic Impact on Canada – Trade, Investment, and Immigration. The report, authored by the China Institute at the University of Alberta (CIUA) and commissioned by CCBC, aims to provide a comprehensive account of China’s impact on the Canadian economy. Public and proprietary data are used to develop estimates of GDP, employment, and wage impacts. Qualitative analysis is employed to address areas where quantification is not possible.

For more information on this report or for media inquiries, please contact Alyssa Dalton, Director of Communications, at communications@ccbc.com.