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List of ambassadors of Canada to China

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Ambassador of Canada to the People's Republic of China
Incumbent
Jennifer May[1]
since September 23, 2022
Global Affairs Canada
Reports toMinister of Foreign Affairs
SeatEmbassy of Canada, Beijing
AppointerGovernor General of Canada
FormationNovember 5, 1942
First holderThomas 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]

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

History of diplomatic relations

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Main article: China–Canada 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

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

Embassy

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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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  • Canada–China relations
  • Canadian Consulate-General, Hong Kong for list of high commissioners and consul general to Hong Kong and Macau
  • Canadian Consulate-General, Guangzhou – located at TaiKoo Hui
  • Canadian Consulate-General, Chongqing – located at Metropolitan Tower
  • Canadian Consulate-General, Shanghai – located at ECO City Building

References

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  1. ^ "Jennifer May, Ambassador to the People's Republic of China". Global Affairs Canada. Sep 23, 2022. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b "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
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