Harper China delegation includes oil, banking executives

Canadian oil and business executives are well-represented in the delegation travellingto China with Prime Minister Stephen Harper,withoil exports expected to be high on the government's agenda.

A delegation assigned to Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver includes eight mining or oil and gas companies.

Harper's own delegation includes a wider business focus, withtop executives from Air Canada, SNC-Lavalin and Bombardier, Manulife and Scotiabank.

Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz will also visit the country.

The delegation left early Monday afternoon and will be in China from Feb. 8 to 11.

China's total investment in Canada used to add up to millions of dollars, butsince 2009 has increased to up to $20 billion.

It has come with a shift in this country from relying solely on the United States as the only buyer of Canadian oil and gas something Harper emphasizedrepeatedly when U.S. President Barack Obama delayed a decision and then denied a permit to TransCanada foritsKeystone XL pipeline. The pipeline would have sent oil from Alberta through the U.S. to the coast of Texas.

Peter Harder,president of the Canada-China Business Counciland a former top official at theDepartment of Foreign Affairs, said the United States will always be Canada's No. 1trading partner, but China will be No. 2.

"And the question is how big that No. 2 will be," he said.

China 'big player' in the world

China is a big player in the world, no matter the subject, NDP foreign affairs critic Hlne Laverdire said.

"It won't just be a matter of exchanging pipelines for pandas," she said, referring to rumours the trip will also finalize the loan of giant pandas for Canadian zoos. "The dialogue will be broader than that."

The NDP isn't opposed to trade, she said, but "we do think the prime minister needs to talk about human rights in particular."

Alice Wong, Harper's minister of state for seniors, is also on the trip and is bringing several representatives of Canada's Chinese community,including Chinese-Canadian Christian leaders,as part of her delegation.

Reporter denied visa

But not everyone planning to travel with the Canadian delegation made it on the trip. A reporter for the Epoch Times was denied a visa to visit China.

Matthew Little, who is an accreditedmember of the Parliamentary Press Gallery, had a spot reserved on the plane along with other Canadian reporters, but couldn't get permission from China to enter the country.

In a statement to CBC News, Epoch Times's Canadian publisher Cindy Gu said it's disappointing but not surprising that Little wasn't granted a visa.

"The Epoch Times has published many articles critical of the Chinese regime, and its repression of basic freedoms. The regime has continually made efforts to block our reporting," she said.

The Epoch Times was founded by Falun Gongpractitioners anddoesn't shrink from criticizing the Chinese government over its human rights abuses.The original Chinese-languageEpoch Timesstarted publishing in response to a need for uncensored news coverage in China, according tothe company'swebsite. It publishes in 17 languages around the world.