After 50 years of public service, former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell is slowly getting readjusted to life as a "normal" person.

"There’s an emptiness and openness that comes upon you," he told a crowd of more than 600 people at the Vancouver Trade And Convention Centre.

"You’ve got to do something to fill it. I bought a Corvette."

While Powell no longer has access to a private plane, which he laments has gone to Condoleezza Rice, he does have more time to tour the world speaking about things that matter to him most.

During his 50-minute speech, Powell spoke about leadership in the 21st century, the War on Terrorism and the West’s future economic ties to Asia, especially India and China.

Praising China’s economic reform over the last decade, Powell said opportunities for future cooperation are endless.

"The first time I visited China 36 years ago, it was the most backward place," he said. "Now it has the third largest economy in the world."

Fears of a military confrontation between the U.S. and China are misplaced, as "the only thing we will ever fight over is more shelf space in Wal-Mart," he said.

However, harmony could come to an end if Taiwan demanded independence, added Powell, as the U.S. has given Taiwan an informal security guarantee against nuclear-armed China.

From a hypothetical war to an all-too-real war, America’s invasion of Iraq was a hot topic at the convention centre last week. Perhaps the most searing question on everybody’s mind was whether Powell regretted the infamous speech he gave to the United Nations in February 2003 that made the case for the Iraq war — much of which was later discredited.

"At the time I gave the speech, it was vetted by the CIA . . . and the intelligence community," he said. "No words were put in that speech that I made up or came from any other place in government."

While he supported the Iraq War, Powell is disappointed with the way America has dealt with the aftermath. As a result his country’s image has changed for the worse, he said.

"Enacting too many safety measures has presented a face to the world that we are not the open, welcome place we used to be, especially to Arabs, Muslims and people with long last names," he said. "Let’s defend against terrorism . . . but the one thing we can’t do is change the nature of our democratic system."

During Powell’s speech, shouts of protest could be heard from a small crowd of demonstrators gathered outside. They said Powell wasn’t welcome in Canada, labeling the former general a war criminal.