The ‘King of the Great White North,’ aka Canadian Prime Minister Justin ‘Heartthrob’ Trudeau, arrived in Guangzhou Tuesday evening to speak at the Fortune Global Forum that's currently being held at the Shangri-La Hotel, Guangzhou.
Trudeau arrived in Canton after a brief blitz through Beijing, where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and senior government officials on Tuesday to discuss a proposed free-trade deal between Canada and world’s second largest economy.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing
Unfortunately for the 45-year-old Canadian statesman, the negotiations are said to have stalled after the two sides could not agree on the wording of certain parts of the trade agreement, according to the National Post.
PM Trudeau speaks at the Fortune Global Forum
In Guangzhou, Trudeau spoke to Fortune Global Forum attendees about Canada’s aspiration for “progressive trade,” which stresses gender rights, workforce standards and environmental guidelines, according to the Toronto Star. He also met with Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook and Alibaba’s Jack Ma.
A crowd of South China’s most influential Canadian expats waits for Trudeau to speak at the Mandarin Oriental, Guangzhou
Later Wednesday, the Canadian PM gathered with prominent members of South China’s Canadian expat community at the Mandarin Oriental, Guangzhou in Tianhe District. There, Trudeau stated that he had previously visited Guangzhou in January 1995 as a student backpacker, before posing for photos with the hodge-podge of influential Canadians in attendance.
Watch an excerpt of PM Trudeau’s speech at the Mandarin Oriental, Guangzhou (VPN off):
Outside China? Watch on YouTube.
Prime Minister Trudeau is expected to leave Guangzhou tonight to return to Canada.
[Images via The Canadian Press h/t National Post, Toronto Star, Jenny MacDonald, WeChat]
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