Canada - China News, Member News

Innovation is the force behind every bridge built between Canada and China. The 19th Annual Maple Leaf Ball: Land of Innovation, Diamond Sponsor: Manulife-Sinochem celebrated the builders, dreamers, creators, and companies shaping what comes next. It was not only an evening of hospitality; it was a high-class, futuristic gala with Canadian warmth, Shanghai energy, and memorable moments. 

On the evening of September 12, the Grand Ballroom of The Langham Shanghai, Xintiandi filled with 260 guests dressed in touches of silver and futuristic style. Members, diplomats, parliamentarians, sponsors and friends of the Canada-China community gathered for CanCham Shanghai’s flagship night of the year.

This year’s theme was Canada: Land of Innovation. The evening celebrated what sets Canada apart: the ideas we pioneer, the partnerships we build, and the people who carry them across borders. The night opened with a cocktail reception in the Langham’s ballroom foyer, with delicious drinks provided by Laneway Distillers, an all-women distillery founded in Toronto, Ontario. Canadian Club whiskey was generously provided by corporate sponsor, Red Gate International. Guests mingled over drinks before being seated to a guzheng performance by Lynn (林如意). A graduate of the Xi’an Conservatory of Music with 14 years of guzheng experience, Lynn wove together electronic, traditional Chinese and pop influences — including her own adaptations of Canadian pop artist, Shawn Mendes’ hit song Senorita — for a set that set an elegant, contemporary tone before the evening’s remarks began.

Opening Remarks: Innovation as a Way of Life

CanCham Shanghai Chair Dr. Mark Ceolin welcomed the room in English, French and Mandarin. In choosing this year’s theme, he explained, the organizers had asked what makes Canada distinct: in a competitive world where some nations forge ahead and others fall behind, Canadians stand at the forefront of artificial intelligence, quantum computing, aerospace, life sciences, clean technology, advanced manufacturing and agricultural science. He pointed to Canada’s diversity as a source of that strength — new communities distilling new ideas, solving local challenges while making an impact around the world. 

“Canadians are creative. Canadians are inclusive. Canadians are resilient,” he told the room, before turning to the Ball itself as proof of the point: twenty years ago, no regular, major, formal networking event like the Maple Leaf Ball existed in Shanghai. Building this platform, and rebuilding it every year since, is itself an act of innovation by the leaders of the Canadian business community in China.

His speech highlighted CanCham Shanghai’s recent growth trajectory and major initiatives:

• Industry white papers on Automotive Parts Manufacturing, Natural Resources, and Agriculture & Agrifood, now circulating as far as Ottawa and Beijing
• A new CanCham Shanghai chapter in Jiangsu, with another underway in Hangzhou
• A founding role in the new Canadian Chambers of the Indo-Pacific
• Appointment as the Official Partner of Canada @ CIIE 2026

He closed by thanking the night’s sponsors, partners and organizers, and by inviting the room to CanCham Shanghai’s upcoming calendar — including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai Business Impact Awards, to be presented in Shanghai on November 4.

Major Announcement on Stage: The CanCham Shanghai 2026 Business Impact Awards

The evening’s centrepiece announcement was the launch of the CanCham Shanghai 2026 Business Impact Awards — a new recognition for the meaningful contributions businesses are making in China and the Indo-Pacific regiom. The Awards celebrate impact across innovation, sustainability, product and service creation, branding, and diversity, equity and inclusion, spotlighting the businesses that bridge societies and economies and strengthen international understanding.

Open to any business making a positive impact while operating in China and/or within the Indo-Pacific Region, the Awards will showcase excellence, strengthen cross-border ties, and set new benchmarks for success. Nominations are open until October 13, with winners announced on November 4 at the CanCham Shanghai Business Impact Awards Ceremony. Winners will then be feted at Canada’s National Pavilion at the China International Import Expo (CIIE) on November 9 as part of a major media event. As the Guest Country of Honour at CIIE 2026 (Nov 5–10), winners will be in the spotlight ahead of 1,200 exhibiting organizations from 99 countries, including 265 Fortune 500 companies. 

Innovation, Live on Stage

True to the theme of innovation, robots from Shanghai Ultimate Dimension Robot Co. Ltd. took the stage accompanying Lynn’s guzheng performance as they played renditions of popular songs from Canadian pop artists’ Justin Bieber, The Weeknd, and Shawn Mendes.  The performance electrified the room and set the tone for the rest of the night.

After the first course, Tracy Diehl, Consul General of Canada in Shanghai, delivered welcome remarks. Special guest remarks followed from the Honourable Clément Gignac, Senator, Senate of Canada and Zoe Royer, Member of Parliament for Port Moody–Coquitlam. They are the Co-Chairs of the Canada–China Legislative Association and were in China for the Association’s 26th Bilateral Meeting.

Voices from the Consulate and Parliament

Senator Gignac recognised CanCham Shanghai’s role in helping businesses network, share resources and support one another. MP Royer noted that Canada ranked 17th among 139 countries in WIPO’s 2025 Global Innovation Index. She added that Toronto, Montréal and Vancouver all rank among the world’s top innovation clusters. She pointed to innovation as an area where Canada and China could work more closely, and to chambers like CanCham Shanghai as natural facilitators of that work.

Jazz, Dinner 

Musical act, Neon Standard wove jazz, funk, R&B, pop and fusion into a live set that kept the room’s energy warm through dinner, including renditions of popular Canadian artists such as Nelly Furtado and The Weeknd. 

The Whiskey Toast, a CanCham Shanghai Tradition

Chairman Dr. Mark Ceolin then invited to the stage the CanCham Board of Directors, Advisory Council, and special guests including the Honourable Clément Gignac, Senator, Senate of Canada, Zoe Royer, Member of Parliament for Port Moody–Coquitlam, and Tracy Diehl, Consul General of Canada in Shanghai, at which then the entire room then rose for the annual whiskey toast of friendship between Canada and China, a CanCham Shanghai tradition that has gone on for 19 years.

Dessert arrived to the sound of Tiehan (铁汉), an ethnic fusion artist, singer, producer and DJ who blends Chinese traditional sounds with Amapiano, Afrobeat, house and R&B. His Toronto-made track “Travelling” draws on his own immigrant experience and cross-cultural influences — a fitting soundtrack for a night built around cross-border creativity.

Raffle and Live Auction

Two rounds of raffle draws and a spirited live auction kept the energy high, with every bid supporting the Chamber’s work for the community. 

A Word from Our Diamond Sponsor

Matthew Chiang, Chief People Officer of Manulife-Sinochem and member of the CanCham Shanghai Board of Directors, took the stage on behalf of this year’s Diamond Sponsor — and with extra reason to celebrate. As China’s first joint-venture life insurance company, Manulife-Sinochem marks its 30th anniversary this year, and Chiang shared how meaningful it was to celebrate that milestone alongside CanCham Shanghai. He spoke to what draws Manulife-Sinochem to the Ball each year: an occasion built on trust, collaboration and meaningful relationships — the same foundations, he noted, that the company builds on every day.

Into the Night

The evening closed with photo opportunities, canapés and an open bar, while Tiehan played on. Guests lingered late into the night, well past the final draw.

Thank You to Our Sponsors and Partners!

• Diamond Sponsor: Manulife-Sinochem
• Corporate & Large-Value Sponsor: Air Canada
• Large-Value Sponsor: Fairmont Peace Hotel
• Corporate Sponsors: Chongbang Group, Canadian National Railway Company, Canadian-Pacific Kansas City Railway, Pinnacle Food, Red Gate International and Teck Resources Ltd.
• Alcohol Sponsors: Laneway Distillers, Lulu Island Winery and Winewee
• In-Kind Sponsors: CAGES, City News Service, Great Mountain Ginseng, Greenwave, Hyatt Regency Shanghai Global Harbor, the Grand Kempinsk hoteli, The Langham Shanghai, Xintiandi, Loop Division, Merrystar, The Pearl Bar & Cabaret and The Plump Oyster
• Logistics Sponsor: Asian Tigers China

Thank you as well to our Board of Directors, our volunteers, and every guest who made the 19th Maple Leaf Ball one to remember.

Innovation isn’t only something Canada exports; it happens in rooms like this one. CanCham Shanghai looks forward to seeing you at the 20th Annual Maple Leaf Ball!