Canada and China: An evolving relationship within the Indo-Pacific

VIRTUAL PROGRAMMING  I  April 13  I  8:00 – 9:00 PM (EST)  I  MEMBERS-ONLY 

Join us for an insightful conversation with Ambassador of Canada to China, Ms. Jennifer May, as we explore the current state of the bilateral relationship between Canada and China.

Appointed in September 2022, Ambassador May brings a wealth of experience to navigating the complexities of the relationship between Canada and China. She is the first woman to serve in this position. With a career in the public service spanning over 30 years across three continents, she was most recently appointed as Canada’s Ambassador to Brazil in 2019 and has previously served in Canadian diplomatic missions in Europe, Latin America, and Asia, including in Beijing. She joined the Department of External Affairs in 1990.

During this discussion, Ambassador May will provide insights into the current state of the relationship between the two countries and offer her perspective on what the future holds following the release of the Indo-Pacific Strategy. She will also highlight the challenges and opportunities that exist within the relationship.

Ms. Jennifer May was appointed Canada’s Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China on September 23, 2022. She is the first woman to serve in this position.

Prior to her nomination, Ambassador May served as the Ambassador of Canada to the Federative Republic of Brazil from 2019 to 2022. She was Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Canada to the Federal Republic of Germany from 2015 to 2019.

Ambassador May has extensive Asia experience, having served in political and economic roles at the Consulate General of Canada in Hong Kong from 1998 to 2000, in Beijing at the Embassy of Canada to the People’s Republic of China from 2000 to 2004 and in Bangkok at the Embassy of Canada to the Kingdom of Thailand from 2010 to 2012, with additional responsibility to Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos.

Through her thirty-two-year career with the Government of Canada, Ambassador May has also served as Director of Eastern Europe and Eurasia Relations, Executive Director of the Defence and Security Relations Division at Global Affairs Canada and held overseas assignments in Vienna, Austria and Bonn, Germany.

Ambassador May was born in Toronto, Canada and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and German from Laval University in Québec City. She is married with three grown children. She speaks English, French, Mandarin, German and Portuguese. Ambassador Jennifer May is known as 梅倩琳 in Chinese.

Madame Jennifer May a été nommée ambassadrice du Canada auprès de la République populaire de Chine le 23 septembre 2022. Elle est la première femme à occuper ce poste.

Avant sa nomination, Madame May a occupé le poste d’ambassadrice du Canada auprès de la République fédérative du Brésil de 2019 à 2022. Elle a été chef de mission adjointe à l’ambassade du Canada auprès de la République fédérale d’Allemagne de 2015 à 2019.

L’ambassadrice May possède une vaste expérience de l’Asie, ayant occupé des fonctions politiques et économiques au consulat général du Canada à Hong Kong de 1998 à 2000, à Beijing à l’Ambassade du Canada auprès de la République populaire de Chine de 2000 à 2004 et à Bangkok à l’Ambassade du Canada auprès du Royaume de la Thaïlande de 2010 à 2012, avec des responsabilités supplémentaires au Myanmar, au Cambodge et au Laos. Au cours de sa carrière de trente-deux ans au sein du gouvernement du Canada, l’ambassadrice May a également été directrice des relations avec l’Europe de l’Est et l’Eurasie, directrice exécutive de la division des relations de défense et de sécurité à Affaires mondiales Canada et a été affectée à l’étranger à Vienne, en Autriche, et à Bonn, en Allemagne.

L’ambassadrice May est née à Toronto, au Canada, et a obtenu un baccalauréat ès arts en sciences politiques et en allemand de l’Université Laval, à Québec. Elle est mariée et a trois enfants adultes. Elle parle anglais, français, mandarin, allemand et portugais. L’ambassadrice Jennifer May est connue sous le nom de 梅倩琳 en chinois.