Currently, there are 388 partnership agreements between the Canadian and Chinese institutes, offering joint degree programs and collaboration on research and development. About 50,000 Chinese students are attending Canadian schools.

"We have to identify some positive areas where we can work together. One area where we have done a lot of quiet work together is on the environment. That's now a big international issue." said Drake.

"China has been criticized for its stand on the environment, I think quite unfairly. If the world, starting with Canada, looks at what China is doing in the face of immense difficulties, it should be applauded rather than criticized," he said.

"Environmentally there is room to improve international understanding of what they are doing and what their impediments are," said Yuen Pau-woo, president and CEO of the Asia-Pacific Foundation of Canada, a group that works to develop trade and investment.

He expressed the hope that the talks were not just about "rocks and logs," referring to Canada's abundant natural resources, but also focused on people-to-people relations.

The Malaysian-born Singaporean said there was great potential in Canada to "develop a bilateral agreement on human capital flows and exchanges that will encompass visa issues, immigration issues, maybe even dual citizenship."

He said he wanted to see a much broader range of resource cooperation, including the Chinese investment in Canada, joint projects in third countries, development of regulatory frameworks for resource extraction in developing countries, corporate social responsibility, development of the secondary resource development sector such as financial services, engineering services and the listing of the Chinese mining companies on the Canadian stock exchanges, among others.

"So it isn't simply about the extraction of rocks and logs to China. It's about developing an entire industry and all of its ramifications for society and having the two countries work together on those issues," Yuen said.

Lee from the British Columbia legislature said Canada needed to take advantage of its cultural connections with China and develop the relationship. More than 1.3 million people of the Chinese descent currently call Canada home.

"We understand that this is the Pacific Century and especially for China and countries like India as well, the growth rate is going to be quite high compared to developed countries," Lee said.

"So it is a good opportunity for our businesses, for our industries to get close connection to the Asia-Pacific countries. I believe this is good for the future of Canada's development, and will create more jobs and attract more investment," he added.