Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thanks to all of you for your interventions this morning.
Last week I was at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The focus of many sessions was on research and development and on the fact that research and development is now part of a global supply chain. No one country will control the research and development and commercialization of new technology.
One presenter said that Silicon Valley is now one IT innovation hub among many. China, India, and other locations have become competitors and collaborators in the development of technology and novel business models. Innovations no longer come from the U.S. or any country but originate increasingly in the developing world.
The reason I mention this is that there is a growing concern that Canada's policies towards China have a wide-ranging effect on the future competitiveness of our country and on the capacity for businesses to develop cutting-edge technology that will help bolster our competitiveness.
There was also a great concern there and excitement about the development of “clean tech”—clean technology—and a belief that the capacity to partner with the Chinas and the Indias of the world to develop those technologies will be very important to Canada. There is a belief that this is the fastest growing area of the 21st century economy, with companies such as Kleiner Perkins, out of Silicon Valley, focusing almost all their efforts and capital on this area.
I would like some insight from some of you on the importance of Sino-Canadian relationships in trade and in research and development, and also on your perspective on their development of clean tech and environmental technologies, particularly as we enter a globally carbon-constrained economy.