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found that their wives and families liked Canada more thante they did and that the business opportunities in Hong Kong and Southern China were more immediately attractive than those in Canada. The result has been a pattern of long distance weekly commuting across the Pacific, whereby the family is based in Vancouver but most of the businessmen's activities are in China.
7. This rich immigrant group has not always handled itself tactfully. There is considered to be a definite racial tension problem, with resentment that incoming money has pushed up the price of middle class residential property. Somehow sending the children to school in the Jaguar does not conform to Canadian expectations of the behaviour of new immigrants. Then the businessmen have not fitted into the norms for the Vancouver business community which strongly emphasise personal commitment and time consuming involvement in charitable and community activity; ready willingness to write cheques on request is no substitute. There are also current concerns that Vancouver may be open to infiltration by the Chinese underworld triads.
8.
My conclusion was that it is too early to see whether Vancouver will in time be the location of important overseas Chinese commercial activity as can be found in many parts of South East Asia. In Canada the Chinese do not have the advantage of being the only traders about. Their investments so far are predominantly property and portfolio investments rather than a significant move into trading.
9. The influx of Hong Kong Chinese into Vancouver has at this stage to be characterised essentially as an insurance policy. If the post-1997 environment in Hong Kong is congenial and profitable and adjustment to Chinese sovereignty goes smoothly the long term Chinese influence in the Vancouver area may be relatively limited. It would be another matter altogether if things went badly in Southern China and most of those who had equipped themselves with Canadian passports made British Columbia the permanent base of the greater part of their business activities.
RJA
RJ MEADWAY
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the department for Enterprise
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