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Canada-China Relations
Chinese immigration to Canada began with the Fraser River Gold Rush in 1858. Between 1881 and 1885, more than 17,000 Chinese workers helped complete the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR). Chinese immigrants had to pay an increasingly large “head tax” starting in 1885. Between 1923 and 1947, Chinese immigration to Canada was effectively banned. Canada’s presence in China began with Christian missionary work in the 1890s. Canada and China were allies during the Second World War and adversaries in the Korean War. Canada’s official recognition of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in October 1970 helped open communist China to the West. Canada then aided China's entry into the United Nations, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Economic ties and human rights concerns have been hallmarks of the bilateral relationship ever since. More recently, relations have been strained by the Meng Wanzhou Affair and allegations of Chinese interference in Canada’s elections.