List of Canadian ambassadors to China

This is a list of Canadian ambassadors to China. Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

previously maintained relations with the Republic of China

Republic of China

The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...

until October 13, 1970. Since that date Canada has recognized People's Republic of China

People's Republic of China

China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...

as the government of China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

. Canada's embassy in Beijing

Beijing

Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...

was established on June 10, 1971.

Head of Post	Appointment Date	Termination of mission
Major General Major General Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general... Victor Wentworth Odlum Victor Odlum Victor Wentworth Odlum, C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O. was a Canadian journalist, soldier, and diplomat. He was a prominent member of the business and political elite of Vancouver, British Columbia from the 1920s until his death in 1971...	November 5, 1942	October 4, 1946
George Sutton Patterson George Sutton Patterson George Sutton Patterson was a Canadian missionary, diplomat and representative on UNTCOK.Born in 1887, Patterson was vice-president and later head of the Toronto YMCA....	October 4, 1946	October 24, 1946
The Honourable The Honourable The prefix The Honourable or The Honorable is a style used before the names of certain classes of persons. It is considered an honorific styling.-International diplomacy:... Thomas Clayton Davis	October 24, 1946	April 1, 1949
Chester Ronning Chester Ronning Chester Alvin Ronning, CC, AOE was a Canadian diplomat and politician.Ronning was born in Fangcheng, China, the son of Norwegian Lutheran missionaries, and graduated from the University of Alberta in 1916 with a B.Sc.He returned to China to serve as a missionary from 1922 to 1927 and then returned...	April 1, 1949	February 26, 1951
John MacLeod Fraser	January 11, 1971	June 10, 1971
Ralph Edgar Collins	April 8, 1971	September 17, 1972
Charles John Small	June 8, 1972	October 8, 1976
Arthur Menzies	June 29, 1976	September 23, 1980
Michel Gauvin	September 12, 1980
Richard Vessot Gorham	May 31, 1984
Earl Gordon Drake	September 10, 1987	October 5, 1990
M. Fred Bild M. Fred Bild M. Fred Bild is a former Canadian diplomat and current invited professor at the University of Montreal Department of East Asian Studies, the CÉTASE. He graduated from Sir George Williams College, presently Concordia University, in Montreal...	1990	December 4, 1994
John Lawrence Paynter John Lawrence Paynter John Lawrence Paynter was a Canadian diplomat who served as Ambassador to Russia, China, Thailand, Laos, Burma, Vietnam, and Mongolia and as High Commissioner to India and Nepal. He held academic degrees from The University of British Columbia, Tufts University and Oxford University. He received a...	December 23, 1994	October 31, 1995
Howard Balloch Howard Balloch Howard Balloch is a former Canadian diplomat. He was Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the People's Republic of China, Mongolia and to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.- External links :*...	February 13, 1996
Joseph Caron Joseph Caron Joseph Caron is a former Canadian High Commissioner to India and former Canadian Ambassador to China and Japan. Born and raised in the small francophone agricultural village of Pain Court in South-western Ontario , Caron attended the University of Ottawa Joseph Caron (born 1947) is a former...	July 16, 2001	July 28, 2005
Robert G. Wright Robert G. Wright Robert G. Wright is a former Canadian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the People's Republic of China and to Mongolia. He was appointed Ambassador to People's Republic of China on August 19, 2005 until 2009. From 2001 to 2005 he was the Ambassador of Canada to Japan.-External links:*...	August 19, 2005	2009
David Mulroney	2009

This posting is assigned to diplomats with experience with relations in China or Asia (namely the Far East). Ronning, Collins and Menzies (b. in Kunming) were Chinese born diplomats and likely appointed due their ability to communicate with the Chinese.

Victor Odlum is the only non diplomat to hold the post.

John Lawrence Paynter died in China shortly after his appointment, making him the only appointee to die at their posting in China.

See also