"Ni Hao! This is a greeting from Canada. Wish you a happy 'June 18' shopping festival." As China's online shopping festival kicked off, Stephen McNeil, the premier of Nova Scotia, stood next to a lobster and filmed a video for Chinese customers, "Thanks for choosing the best lobster in the world -- the Nova Scotia lobster from the cold, pristine Atlantic ocean. Thank you [Xie Xie]!"

In a written interview with China News Service on June 18, McNeil said Nova Scotia has been in communication with its Chinese partners during the coVID-19 outbreak and will continue to work to build bilateral trade relations after the lifting of international restrictions.

Nova Scotia is one of Canada's southeast coastal provinces and is considered the country's "maritime gateway" to the Atlantic Ocean. Its capital is halifax, an important port city in Canada.

According to the Nova Scotia government, China is the province's second largest and fastest-growing trading partner. The province's exports to China reached a record high of nearly C $1 billion in 2019. That figure accounted for 16.5% of the province's total local exports last year.

But Nova Scotia's economy is inevitably being hit by coVID-19. Since 2020, the value of the province's exports to China has been C $205.3 million, down 28.7 percent from 287.8 million in the same period last year.

McNeil said the priority for the province was public safety and the provincial government would restart the economy on the advice of the public health authorities. For example, just recently, nova Scotia and its partners in China's Fujian province held an online roundtable to exchange experience, he said.

The seafood economy, including lobster, plays an important role in Nova Scotia's foreign trade. The new province is also a leader in Canada's seafood exports.

From January to April this year, Nova Scotia exported lobsters worth C $107.2 million to China, accounting for 52% of the province's total exports to China. But sales were still down 22 percent from the same period last year.

Earlier this month, Nova Scotia seafood was promoted in a live promotion in China, McNeil said.

Nova Scotia released its China Cooperation Strategy in April 2016. This is the first strategic document on Cooperation with China issued by a Canadian provincial government in the history of China-Canada relations.

Now, to McNeil's regret, a scheduled charter flight from Guangzhou to Halifax this autumn has been postponed because of the coVID-19 outbreak and the resulting international travel restrictions.

"We know that Chinese tourists want to travel to Nova Scotia and that will be our goal." Mr. McNeil said a lot of effort has gone into making charter flights possible. This includes the support of the Canadian Consulate General in Guangzhou and the important role of Guangdong Governor Ma Xingrui.

"China has tremendous potential to boost Nova Scotia's tourism industry and boost visitor Numbers." "We look forward to welcoming Chinese guests on nonstop flights when security is restored," Mr. McNeil said.