Air Canada inaugurated daily flights from Vancouver to Taipei on June 8, 2017, following a gate celebration at Vancouver International Airport. Passengers enjoyed Taiwanese delicacies and aboriginal dance performances before boarding the inaugural flight.
"Taiwan and Canada enjoy solid and very close relations in many fields, such as trade, investment, tourism, education, science and technology, cultural exchanges, etc. Both countries share important fundamental values of democracy, freedom, human rights and rules of laws," said Chung-chen Kung, Representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Canada. With Air Canada's reconnection between Taiwan and Canada, bilateral cooperation between two countries is expected to be further enhanced. "Taiwan not only can serve as a reliable trading partner, but a strategically valuable joint force for Canada in reaching out to Southeast Asia."
"Direct non-stop flights are key tools for facilitating trade, investment, tourism and education exchanges," said Donald Bobiash, Assistant Deputy Minister, Asia Pacific of Global Affairs Canada. In 2016 bilateral trade between Taiwan and Canada totaled 6.7 billion dollars, of which BC's trade accounted for a quarter." Taipei is a gateway to Asia, especially the regional markets of Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and China," he said, adding that direct air links between them will help Canadian businesses tap into many high-growth sectors of these markets.
