Canadian ambassador takes to Weibo in first Webchat

David Mulroney, the Canadian ambassador to China, participated in his first Webchat on Sina Weibo on Friday as it has become an important channel for him to discover Chinese views about Canada.

"It's really a timely way for me to get to know what's on Chinese people's minds," Mulroney told the Global Times, "I think webchats will become regular in the future in different and specific sections."

During the one-hour webchat, Mulroney fielded 35 questions ranging from investment environment, education, immigration policy and even Canadian celebrities.

Among the most hotly-discussed subjects, immigration policy stood out due to the increasing number of Chinese going to Canada for business and study.

"There's a broad sense in Canada that immigration is a good thing," Mulroney said, noting however that more Canadians are coming to China at the moment although this trend will soon change.

Currently, Chinese account for over 25 percent of overseas students in Canada, according to statistics given by the Canadian embassy.

When asked about concerns about Chinese corrupt officials and economic fugitives fleeing to Canada, Mulroney stressed that Ottawa and Beijing should step cooperation in the future to prevent them from coming to Canada in the first place.

"Though we value economic investment from China, our governments will also strengthen the background checks of people entering the country," he said during the interview.