Trudeau begins first day of his visit to China; drops by social media company HQ

FILE: (Photo By: Radio Television Malacañang, Public Domain)

BEIJING — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has started the first day of his four day trip to China with a visit to the headquarters of the country’s most popular social media company, Sina Weibo.

More than 200 cellphone toting millennials greeted him on a Monday morning visit to the headquarters of Sino Corporation, which owns Weibo.

It was part of an attempt to promote Canada as a tourist destination and to launch the 2018 year of tourism between the two countries.

Trudeau is taking part in a panel discussion at the home of the Chinese microblogging platform that has become more popular than Twitter.

Trudeau is to meet Chinese Premier Li Keqiang later in the day at Beijing’s opulent Great Hall of the People and trade is sure to be discussed.

Canada and China have yet to announce the start of formal free trade talks, but have engaged in a long round of exploratory discussions that has taxed China’s patience.

The government recently released the results of consultations on a possible trade deal with more than 600 businesses, academics and civil society groups.

Some surveyed said a pact with Canada could kill Canadian jobs and reduce the ability to compete against lax labour standards, lower environmental requirements and Chinese state subsidies.

Trudeau is accompanied by four cabinet ministers.