In September 2016, the Canada Confederation of Shenzhen Associations (hereinafter "the Confederation") was formally established in Toronto. Over the ten years since its founding, the Confederation has grown to include seven major member associations and 20 interest clubs, drawing in thousands of members from various fields, and has developed into one of the most influential and innovative Chinese-Canadian community organizations in Canada. We hereby issue the following statement regarding the nature, purpose, and actual work of the Confederation over the past decade:

I. The Confederation is an independent, lawful community organization based in Canada and serving local communities

The Canada Confederation of Shenzhen Associations is a non-profit public-benefit organization formed voluntarily by overseas Shenzhen expatriates, Chinese-Canadian professionals, and entrepreneurs living in Canada. We are registered under Canadian law, and all of our organizational operations, financial management, and activities are conducted independently and in full compliance with Canadian federal and provincial laws and regulations. Every member of our board is a citizen or permanent resident who has lived in Canada long-term and deeply loves this country — it was out of that love and aspiration that we brought the next generation with us to immigrate here. Our shared wish is to contribute to Canada's multicultural society and economic development, and to create a better living environment and greater opportunities for our next generation.

II. The Confederation's core purpose is to serve the Chinese-Canadian community and mainstream society, to promote community unity and cooperation, and to help overseas compatriots integrate into the mainstream

Over the past decade, the Confederation has consistently upheld the principles of "unity and inclusiveness, innovation and development, mutual support, and win-win cooperation," making "taking root in Canada, serving Canada" its foremost goal, while promoting friendship and cooperation between Canada and China — particularly between Toronto and Shenzhen. Our key areas of work include:

1. Helping new immigrants integrate: organizing language training, employment seminars, entrepreneurship-sharing sessions, legal consultations, and community orientation tours to help new immigrants from Shenzhen and across China adapt quickly to life in Canada and become self-sufficient, law-abiding citizens.

2. Promoting local economic development and employment: actively building bridges between local businesses (especially small and medium-sized enterprises) and Chinese-Canadian professional talent, hosting job fairs and entrepreneurship forums to create jobs and economic vitality for Canada.

3. Promoting multiculturalism: participating in and hosting cultural festivals, Lunar New Year celebrations, art exhibitions, club events, and more, to showcase the richness of Chinese culture to Canadian society and foster mutual understanding and respect among different ethnic communities.

4. Supporting charitable causes: repeatedly organizing fundraising and volunteer activities for local hospitals (including The Hospital for Sick Children and hospice care hospitals), the North Star Athletics program for children with autism and special needs, senior care facilities (the Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care Foundation), food banks, and disaster relief funds, as well as actively organizing pandemic-response efforts, all in service of our shared home.

These activities are all undertaken with the goal of building a better Canada, and have nothing to do with any foreign political agenda.

III. On our contacts with the Chinese side: focused on culture, trade, and people-to-people exchange, with no political dimension

We maintain normal contact and exchange with various parties in China, including the Shenzhen municipal government and various civil organizations. The purpose of this contact is clear and singular: to promote mutually beneficial cooperation between Canada and China in the fields of culture, education, trade, and technology.

1. Trade and economics: China is currently Canada's second-largest trading partner, and the two countries' industrial structures and resource endowments are highly complementary. The Confederation draws on its understanding of both markets to help Canadian businesses (particularly in agricultural products, clean energy, and consumer goods) understand and access the Chinese market, and find partners and investors; it likewise helps Chinese enterprises interested in investing in Canada understand Canada's investment environment and legal framework, promoting two-way investment — in particular by making use of China's and Shenzhen's complete industrial manufacturing systems and cost-effective production capacity to lower manufacturing costs, ultimately benefiting the Canadian economy. This work is consistent with the Canadian federal government's strategic direction of "promoting trade diversification."

2. Culture: We organize cultural exchange activities so that Canadian society can gain a more accurate and fuller understanding of China, reducing bias caused by information asymmetry, and working to counter anti-Asian racism and exclusion. At the same time, we introduce Canadian values and social norms to new immigrants — this falls within the normal scope of people-to-people cultural exchange.

3. On contact with China's United Front department: limited to care for overseas compatriots and cultural/economic exchange. As we understand and have experienced it, the United Front department’s areas of focus is indeed maintaining contact with overseas Chinese, caring for their lives and development in their countries of residence, and encouraging them to actively integrate into local society, give back to their local communities, while also conveying accurate information about China. Over the years, to the extent we have maintained contact with China's Overseas Chinese Affairs Offices and the Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, that contact has been very limited and public in nature, confined to community fellowship among overseas Chinese, cultural visits, charitable activities, or trade promotion events — such as being invited to attend local-government-hosted overseas Chinese community forums or cultural and trade exchange delegations — all aimed at presenting China's current development and promoting cultural exchange. These contacts fall within an open, positive, non-political scope. Like many other Chinese community organizations, in these relatively limited interactions, what we have had the opportunity to convey to relevant Chinese government agencies has always been the real living conditions of Chinese-Canadians, the inclusiveness and diversity of Canadian society, and the importance of grassroots friendship between Canada and China. The role we play is that of a civil ambassador of friendship.

IV. Our Statement

We fully understand that, as a Canadian community organization, earning the trust of local society is of the utmost importance. We hereby solemnly declare:

1. The Confederation has never, does not now, and will never participate in any activity that harms Canada's national interests or interferes in Canada's internal political affairs. We love this free, democratic, rule-of-law country that respects human rights.

2. All of our external exchanges and cooperation are conducted on the principles of openness, transparency, and legality.

We will continue to make it our goal to promote local prosperity in Canada, multiculturalism, the healthy development of charitable causes and the community, and civil friendship between Canada and China.

Jenny Qi , Chair of the Canada Confederation of Shenzhen Associations

August 18, 2026