For generations, Norman Bethune, a Canadian physician who lost his life while treating Chinese soldiers during the Second World War, has been a household name in China.Mr. Bethune's story, however, is by no means the last example of links between Canada and China.45 years after the establishment of diplomatic relations, China has now become Canada's second-largest trading partner. More than 40 bilateral cooperation mechanisms have been established at the governmental level. Each day, at least 3,000 people travel between the two countries. Closer ties between Canada and China would not have been possible without the dedication of many people from both sides.One such person is Victor Oh, a Chinese-Canadian Senator from Ontario. As a member of the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Mr. Oh travels to China on a regular basis in efforts to bring more people from the two sides together. My colleague Ding Heng caught up with him during his most recent trip to China. And to take a look at China-Canada education cooperation, Ding Heng also spoke with Ruth Hayhoe, Professor at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. Professor Hayhoe is one of the authors of an upcoming book "Canadian Universities in China's Transformation: An Untold Story".

With Asia comprising not only two of the world's biggest economies in China and Japan, but also several emerging nations, the continent's demand for energy is constantly increasing.This issue has been a hot topic at the recently concluded Bo'ao Forum for Asia, where experts and business leaders discussed how to improve Asia's energy supply. At the Bo'ao Forum, our reporter Liu Kun spoke with Kent Calder, Director of the Edwin O. Reischauer Center for East Asian Studies at Johns Hopkins University. Mr Calder is a leading expert on energy security in Asia, and offered his analysis of energy consumption in China, Japan and other Asian countries. He also gave his predictions for the development of clean energy in Asia, and much more. Liu Kun also spoke with Benedikt Sobotka, CEO of Eurasia Resources Group, a company specializing in energy and natural resources production and trade.

Nuclear envoys from Japan and China have discussed responses to North Korea's missile programs in Tokyo.Wu Dawei, China's special representative for Korean affairs, says that both sides have exchanged views on the topics of denuclearization, peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and the resumption of six-party talks according to the principles of the "9.19" joint statement.On March 2nd, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2270. This consists of a series of tough sanctions on North Korea in response to the country's nuclear test and missile launch on January 6th and February 7th respectively.In line with the UN sanctions, China has announced embargoes on some imports from and exports to North Korea.China's Ministry of Commerce revealed that the embargoes allow some imports of North Korea's coal, iron and iron ore for civilian use, but any trade related to the country's nuclear or missile programs is banned.So why are we seeing these sanctions now? How can cooperation between China and Japan on the North Korean nuclear issue be enhanced? PIK speaks with Victor Gao, current affairs commentator and Dr. Lim Tai Wei, Senior Lecturer UniSIM of Singapore and Research Fellow Adjunct of National University of Singapore East Asian Institute.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has returned to the country after attending the fourth Nuclear Security Summit in Washington DC. In a keynote speech, President Xi proposed the promotion of international cooperation in nuclear security. President Xi's trip has been hailed as a success by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who said that it would help reaffirm China's commitment to promoting mutually beneficial cooperation and safeguarding global nuclear security. Wang said that China had submitted the country's "National Progress Report on Nuclear Security" to the summit, and underlined China's nuclear security achievements. China and the United States also took the opportunity to issue a joint statement on nuclear security cooperation. The two countries have built a Center of Excellence on Nuclear Security in Beijing, which is the largest of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region.So, how can summits like this help to promote nuclear security? What contributions has China made in this area? And how does the nuclear issue fit into the bigger picture of China-US relations?  PIK speaks with Shi Yinhong, Professor of International Relations and Director of the Center for American Studies at Renmin University of China, and Dr. Richard Weitz, Director and Senior Fellow of the Center for Political-Military Analysis, Hudson Institute.

What is the sharing economy? Well, perhaps many people have no idea. But here are a few things that would quickly help you understand what we are talking about: Uber, Airbnb, as well as Didi, a popular Chinese car-hailing app.Sharing surplus resources with others might be human nature, but with the development of the internet and mobile technology, this human nature has given birth to a particular market model.China is no exception to this trend. The "sharing economy" first gained official recognition when it was mentioned by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang during last year's Summer Davos meeting. Then this idea popped up again in China's 2016 government work report, as well as during the now-concluded Bo'ao Forum for Asia.So, how should China embrace the sharing economy? PIK speaks with Russell Belk, Kraft Foods Canada Chair in Marketing at Schulich School of Business, York University in Canada, and Jane Wang, Associate Professor of Marketing at China Europe International Business School.

China and Africa have a long history of collaborating on health.Ever since the 1960s, China has been providing medical aid including financing, infrastructure building and medical staff to African countries.In this time, about 20,000 Chinese health staff have been sent to work in over 60 countries and regions in Africa, helping hundreds of millions of African people, and training tens of thousands of local medical technicians.According to statistics from China's top national health authority, since the 2006 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Beijing, China has built about 30 hospitals and 30 malaria treatment centers in Africa, providing medical equipment and materials.So what are the mechanisms that work well in Sino-African health cooperation? Does the relationship face new challenges as it evolves? And how could medical aid to Africa turn into something more sustainable for local people? PIK spoke with Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, and Victoria Fan, Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Management at the University of Hawaii.

The U.S. Department of Justice has withdrawn its legal action demanding Apple help the government unlock an encrypted iPhone. The US government has also confirmed a third party method to bypass access to a terrorist's phone has proven successful. The court filing says the Federal Bureau of Investigation had managed to access data stored on the iPhone. As such, the FBI says it no longer requires assistance from Apple.The phone has been at the center of a dispute between the US government and Apple over whether the company should be obliged to show US investigators how to access the data it holds.At issue is the extent to which the US government could use the technique to access information on other phones in the future.So, how should we balance the needs for personal privacy and national security? What legal precedent does a case like this set? PIK spoke with Omri Ben-Shahar, Professor of Law at the University of Chicago, and Chiang Jeongwen, Professor of Marketing at the China-Europe International Business School, based in Shanghai.

The British newspaper The Independent has gone digital-only as its last print edition was published.It is the first daily national newspaper to close in the UK since 1995.The move comes amid a drop in demand, as sales had dropped to 40,000 from a peak circulation of more than 400,000.The paper's owner, Evgeny Lebedev, acknowledged that journalism has changed dramatically since The Independent was launched in 1986, and its final editorial predicted that it would not be the last newspaper to make such a transition.Politically left-wing, the newspaper became known for its campaigns on issues including the Iraq war in 2003, as well as its photographs.So what does this latest development mean for traditional media? How can traditional media adapt to the new changes? PIK spoke with Deng Jianguo, a former reporter with Shanghai Daily, now Associate Professor at Fudan University's School of Journalism, and Dr Margaret Simons, Director of the Journalism centre at Melbourne University.