[Overview] Ottawa is the capital of Canada, located in Ontario. The city is situated on the lower bank of the Ottawa River, a tributary of the St. Lawrence River in the southeast of Canada. The national capital region (including Ottawa, Ontario; Gatineau, Quebec; and neighboring towns) covers an area of 4,715 square kilometers and has a population of 1.324 million.

[Politics] The Ottawa City Council has 24 members, including 23 councilors representing the 23 wards throughout the city and the mayor elected at large. Council members are elected to four-year terms. The current mayor Jim Watson was first elected in 1997 and held office until 2003. He was re-elected mayor in 2010, 2014 and 2018.

[Economy] High and new technology is one of the major industries in Ottawa, accounting for nearly 20% of the city's GDP. The Kanata area in Ottawa is known as Silicon Valley North. There are more than 1,800 high-tech companies in the city, employing about 80,000 workers and operating in such fields as telecommunications, software, and semiconductors. Ottawa, as a world-renowned hub for research and development, is home to a great number of R&D institutions of the government, universities or privately-owned. The Canadian federal government is Ottawa's largest employer, with government-related sectors accounting for nearly 20% of the city's GDP. Ottawa also has highly developed finance, tourism, and health care industries.

[Education] There are four universities, two colleges and many vocational schools in Ottawa. The University of Ottawa and Carleton University are the two most famed institutions of higher learning in the city. Ottawa has the most educated population among Canadian cities, and also the largest percentage of doctorate holders in North America, which is roughly the same as that of Boston, U.S.

[Relations with Beijing] On October 18, 1999, Beijing and Ottawa established a sister city relationship. In recent years, the two cities have maintained close contact and engaged in fruitful cooperation in the fields of technological innovations, investment, trade, culture and tourism.

Sci-Tech Innovation: In 2014, ZGC Group and Invest Ottawa launched the Ottawa International Incubation Center which has attracted innovation projects and high-caliber professionals in Canada. Some projects have successfully settled in Zhongguancun.

Investment and trade: In 2015, Zhongguancun Private Equity & Venture Capital Association and Invest Ottawa jointly held the Ottawa Investment Conference in Beijing. The Ottawa delegation showcased a number of projects in fields such as medical devices, big data, and clean energy, and exchanged views with Chinese investors and entrepreneurs.

Culture and Tourism: In 2012, Ottawa City was among the first group of cities joining the World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF) initiated by Beijing. In 2014, China NCPA Orchestra gave a concert at the National Arts Center of Canada in Ottawa. In 2017, as part of the celebrations of the 150th anniversary of the founding of Canada, the Beijing Week was held in Ottawa, attracting 16,000 Canadians to participate. The event leveraged different elements and approaches to showcase in a vivid way what Beijing looks like.