New ambassador sees greater confidence in Chinese

Guy Saint-Jacques, the new Canadian ambassador to China, told China Daily on Nov 2 that on taking up his post - the third time he has been posted to Beijing - he noticed a more confident attitude in people.

"I found them easier to associate with foreigners, and even more polite," Saint-Jacques said after a welcoming lunch with the press.

A fluent Mandarin speaker, the ambassador said he was first posted to Beijing in 1984. The second time was in 1994, when he saw the economic reform had brought prosperity and "more cars on streets".

He joined the Canadian department of external affairs in 1977. His former postings have included New York, Mexico City, Kinshasa, Washington and London. He most recently served as chief negotiator and ambassador for climate change for the government of Canada.

Arriving in China in mid-October, he said culture is the area where he found the most progress.

"Chinese arts are booming and being more creative," he said. "They used to be conservative, and now they’re full of dynamics."

He said he'd promote and keep the tradition of Canadian movies, which won the hearts of Chinese, and push cultural projects like bringing in orchestras.

The ambassador learned Chinese at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. But he said he had a lot of new things to learn.

"I'll keep up with new terms and words which come out as one aspect of the country's huge changes," he said.

meijia@chinadaily.com.cn