On the sidelines of the 2024 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Lima, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau jointly announced the ‘substantive conclusion of negotiations’ for a Canada–Indonesia Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement. Set to come into effect in 2025, this agreement highlights Canada’s progress as a latecomer to the Southeast Asian economic stage just three years after introducing its Indo-Pacific Strategy.

Negotiations for the Asean-Canada Free Trade Agreement (ACAFTA) remain on track to be completed by 2025, though progress so far has not fully met the expectations of all parties involved, said Indonesia’s Deputy Minister of Trade, Dyah Roro Esti Widya Putri.

Joint media statement

Ambassador Ping Kitnikone meets Thailand’s commerce minister to discuss stronger trade ties, investment opportunities and free-trade pact in the region

As Việt Nam’s economy continues to grow, Canadian stakeholders will have more opportunities to export more complex products, such as agri-food crop rotation technology and sophisticated fertiliser innovations, said Lawrence MacAulay, Canadian Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.

Joint Leaders’ Statement on ASEAN-Canada Strategic Partnership

Vietnam has made an important contribution to the operation of ASEAN through initiatives aimed at dealing with challenges and issues occurring in the bloc, such as responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, accelerating the negotiation process for a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC), and advocating the five-point consensus on Myanmar.

Alternate chair of the ASEAN-Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC), Bernardino “Dino” Vega, has asserted that businesses from ASEAN member countries and Canada are continuously making strides to strengthen economic, trade and investment cooperation.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Canada reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen their longstanding partnership, at the 11th ASEAN-Canada Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) Meeting held on April 3 at the ASEAN Secretariat.

The Ambassador of Canada to Indonesia, Nadia Burger, said Canada shares the same vision as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on promoting peace, resilience, and security in the Indo-Pacific region.