During the 100 years following the Opium War, the imperialist powers launched wars of aggression against China many times. At the same time, resistance movements emerged, such as that of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the Reform Movement of 1898 and the Yihetuan Movement. Among all these movements that which had the greatest significance was the Revolution of 1911 led by Dr. Sun Yat-sen, which overthrew the 2,000-year-old autocratic feudal monarchy, and established the Republic of China. The May 4 Movement of 1919 laid the groundwork for the foundation of the Chinese Communist Party, which finally liberated China from imperialist oppression in 1949.

During the Sui and Tang dynasties, the economy of China prospered, exchanges with the out side world were frequent, and glorious scientific and cultural achievements appeared. Calligraphy, painting and sculpture flourished in the Tang Dynasty. In particular, Tang Dynasty poetry is regarded as the acme of this genre, represented by the poets Li Bai and Du Fu. In the field of prose literature, Han Yu and Liu Zongyuan were outstanding. Tang was one of the richest and most powerful countries in the world at that time.

What does "civilization" mean? It means a society based upon the opinion of civilians. It means that violence, the rule of warriors and despotic chiefs, the conditions of camps and warfare, of riot and tyranny, give place to parliaments where laws are made, and independent courts of justice in which over long periods those laws are maintained. That is Civilization—and in its soil grow continually freedom, comfort and culture. When Civilization reigns in any country, a wider and less harassed life is afforded to the masses of the people, the traditions of the past are cherished, and the inheritance bequeathed to us by former wise or valiant men becomes a rich estate to be enjoyed and used by all.

During the 15 years of negotiations on China"s entry into the WTO, China has maintained consistent stance. After its accession into the WTO, China will steadily open wider to the outside world in the sectors of commodity and service trade, create favorable conditions for open, unified competition on an trade and economic system that conforms to the international norms for economic activities and suits China"s national conditions, and provide increased and stabilized market access for foreign enterprises to enter into economic and trade cooperation with China.

The Chinese government attaches great importance to the development of bilateral economic and trade relations and appreciates the efforts made by Canadian-Chinese Trade Council serving as a bridge linking the business communities of our two great nations. I commend all the members of the Council for their efforts in promoting trade with China. Canada is a country with well-developed industries and abundant resources, while China has a plentiful supply of labor force and a potential huge market. We hope to see Canadian enterprises make full use of their technical and financial ad- vantages and compete well in the Chinese market.

Competition between domestic and foreign banks has intensified as foreign players generate increased awareness among Chinese consumers. Meanwhile the youth segment is fast emerging as a driving force behind bank usage and financial investment products. Chinese consumers" awareness of foreign banks has increased year-on-year across Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou. Today many Chinese consumers in Shanghai, where China’s financial centre resides, are able to name a foreign bank without being prompted.

A recent phenomenon in the choice of careers on the part of college graduates is the increasing trend towards big companies. Few are interested in research fields. This is an unavoidable problem in a materialistic society, where tempting salaries and fringe benefits are offered by big companies to compete with each other to recruit students before they have completed their studies. All this has not only seriously influenced young people"s view on the choice of careers, but on education as well. Many college teachers deplore that fewer and fewer students these days acquire knowledge only for its own sake.