In early industrial times, North America was referred to in China as Gold Mountain.
Fred Mah thinks this term still applies.
"Prince George is, in my estimation, the gateway between China and North America. It is the northern gateway for the whole Pacific Rim," said Mah.
Mah grew up in Dawson Creek but now lives in the Lower Mainland where he is the president of the Guangdong Business Council. Fluent in both cultures, he frequently liaises between the two countries and increasingly with a northern B.C. emphasis. He was in Prince George this week for a series of Prince George-Jiangmen (P.G.'s twin city in
Guangdong province) events.
"Economically, both cities can gain from each other, especially through tourism, cultural exchanges, exports like pulp and paper and agricultural products and coal and natural gas and wood products," he said. "So many things you have here are in demand in China, if you can get it there. The really big advantage Prince George has is its transportation network. You have the CN Rail connections to everywhere in North America, you have the highways intersection, and the really big one for the future is the development of the Prince George Airport."
Hunting and fishing alone represents a potential multi-million-dollar industry for northern B.C. Outdoor enthusiasts from urban Guangdong are, said Mah, eager for a chance to enjoy the Prince George area.
Mah took part in the signing of memoranda of understanding between Chinese officials and local contacts, in the past few days, including Barkerville, UNBC, and the City of Prince George.
"This is why I wanted to pull these two cities together," he said. "Fostering Lower Mainland relationships with China would be a lot easier for me, but Prince George is the important city for China's future, and for Guangdong in particular."
