Canada/Ambassador/China
 Canada/Ambassador/China  (Ambassador to China) | |
|---|---|
| The Canadian ambassador to 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.[1] The embassy was then moved to the permanent Nationalist capital of Nanjing in 1946.
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.[2]
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.
Office Holders on Wikispooks
| Name | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Dominic Barton | 5 September 2019 | |
| Robert Wright (diplomat) | 19 August 2005 | 2009 |
