List of ambassadors of Canada to China
| Ambassador of Canada to the People's Republic of China | |
|---|---|
| Global Affairs Canada | |
| Reports to | Minister of Foreign Affairs |
| Seat | Embassy of Canada, Beijing |
| Appointer | Governor General of Canada |
| Formation | November 5, 1942 |
| First holder | Thomas Clayton Davis |
This is a list of ambassadors of Canada to China.
Ambassadors to the Republic of China[]
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, and in 1942 a Canadian Embassy was opened in the temporary capital of Chongqing.[3] The embassy was then moved to the permanent Nationalist capital of Nanjing in 1946.
| Head of Post | Diplomatic Rank | Appointment Date | Termination of Mission |
|---|---|---|---|
| Major General Victor Wentworth Odlum | Envoy | November 5, 1942 | October 4, 1946 |
| George Sutton Patterson | Chargé d'affaires a.i. | October 4, 1946 | October 24, 1946 |
| The Honourable Thomas Clayton Davis | Ambassador | October 24, 1946 | Continued to Communist China |
Ambassadors to the People's Republic of China[]
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.[4]
Canada recognized the People's Republic of China as the sole legitimate government of China on October 13, 1970, and a Canadian Embassy was opened in Beijing on June 10, 1971.
| Head of Post | Diplomatic Rank | Appointment Date | Termination of Mission |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Honourable Thomas Clayton Davis | Ambassador | Continued from Nationalist China | July 1949[5] |
| Chester Ronning | Chargé d'affaires | July 1949[5] | February 26, 1951 |
| John MacLeod Fraser | Chargé d'affaires a.i. | January 11, 1971 | June 10, 1971 |
| Ambassador | April 8, 1971 | September 17, 1972 | |
| Ambassador | June 8, 1972 | October 8, 1976 | |
| Ambassador | June 29, 1976 | September 23, 1980 | |
| Ambassador | September 12, 1980 | - | |
| Ambassador | May 31, 1984 | - | |
| Ambassador | September 10, 1987 | October 5, 1990 | |
| M. Fred Bild | Ambassador | 1990 | December 4, 1994 |
| John Lawrence Paynter | Ambassador | December 23, 1994 | October 31, 1995 |
| Howard Balloch | Ambassador | February 13, 1996 | - |
| Joseph Caron | Ambassador | July 16, 2001 | July 28, 2005 |
| Robert G. Wright | Ambassador | August 19, 2005 | 2009 |
| Ambassador | 2009 | Summer 2012[6] | |
| Guy Saint-Jacques | Ambassador | 26 September 2012[6] | October 9, 2016 |
| The Honourable John McCallum | Ambassador | March 18, 2017 | January 26, 2019 |
| Jim Nickel | Chargé d'affaires | January 27, 2019 | September 4, 2019 |
| Dominic Barton | Ambassador | September 5, 2019 | Incumbent [2][7] |
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.
Embassy[]
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[]
- 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
- Canadian Consulate-General, Shanghai – located at ECO City Building
References[]
- ^ "Dominic Barton will be new Canadian ambassador to China". Global News. Sep 4, 2019. Retrieved Aug 8, 2021.
- ^ a b "Dominic Barton named Canada's new ambassador to China 'at critical time'". CTV News. Sep 4, 2019. Retrieved Aug 8, 2021.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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).
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b "Canada names Guy Saint-Jacques ambassador to China". CBC.ca. 2012-09-26. Retrieved 2012-09-26.
- ^ Simpson, Katie (Sep 4, 2019). "Dominic Barton named Canada's next ambassador to China". Retrieved Aug 8, 2021.
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- Ambassadors of Canada to China
- Lists of ambassadors to China