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Deal with China an opportunity to improve economic relations

Dear editor, I wish to respond to Kelsey Reid's concerns in this paper (Jan. 2) about the recent investment agreement with China.

Dear editor,

I wish to respond to Kelsey Reid's concerns in this paper (Jan. 2) about the recent investment agreement with China.

She complains that the agreement is unconstitutional but offers no way in which that is true. She claims that our government is binding itself to China until 2043 but says nothing about how this is different from similar agreements which we have with other countries.

I appreciate the writer's care for the health, workplace and environmental problems that she sees as coming from this agreement, but she ignores the fact that Canadian laws are still in effect, and any Chinese or other foreign business activity in Canada must be subject to Canadian regulations.

The agreement is an opportunity for Canada and China to improve their economic relations by encouraging investment. Foreign investment, monitored carefully, can be healthy for an economy.

While we may dislike some of the practices of the Chinese government, last Wednesday's letter does not give us reasons for opposing the government's decision.

Brendon Johnson,

Courtenay

Editor's note: Brendon Johnson is returning to university in South Carolina.