China-Canada Track Two Dialogue Series

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In 2014, the China Institute at the University of Alberta (CIAU) and the Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs (CPIFA), in the presence of then Canadian Ambassador to China, Guy Saint-Jacques, signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a Track II Dialogue between the two institutes. The CPIFA, which was established in 1949 with Premier Zhou Enlai as its first President, is dedicated to advancing the people-to-people diplomacy of the People’s Republic of China.

The Track II dialogue convenes former senior officials and government policy experts from both countries to engage in dialogue and exchange ideas on a wide range of issues affecting current bilateral relations. It is typically held on a rotating basis between locations in China and Canada, with the most recent dialogue being held via video link between Beijing and several cities in Canada because of COVID-19-related travel restrictions.