Newsletters
Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand reaffirmed Canada’s commitment to strengthening cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on Wednesday, saying the country’s prosperity and security are closely tied to developments in the Indo-Pacific region.
Anand made the remarks during the ASEAN-Canada Trilateral Meeting in Manila, where she met Philippine Foreign Secretary and ASEAN Chair Theresa P. Lazaro and ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn.
“Canada’s strong engagement with ASEAN reflects a simple truth: our prosperity and security at home are deeply linked to developments in the Indo-Pacific,” Anand said in her opening remarks.
She said growing geopolitical competition and conflict had made ASEAN’s role as a “trusted convener and stabilizing force” increasingly important.
“Canada remains a committed ASEAN centrality partner,” she said.
Anand highlighted expanding economic ties between Canada and ASEAN, saying bilateral merchandise trade reached about $52.4 billion last year, a 23% increase from 2024.
“This is a significant figure, but we know that there is more that we can do together,” she said.
She pointed to progress on a new ASEAN-Canada Plan of Action and ongoing negotiations for an ASEAN-Canada Free Trade Agreement, which Ottawa hopes to complete this year.
“For Canada, this agreement is more than just a trade deal,” Anand said. “It is a priority for us to make a strategic investment in mutual economic resilience and long-term prosperity.”
Beyond trade, Anand said Canada would continue expanding cooperation with ASEAN on maritime security, cybersecurity and efforts to combat transnational crime, cyber-enabled fraud and drug trafficking.
Canada will also work with ASEAN countries to counter chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats.
Anand said Canada valued its longstanding international assistance partnerships with ASEAN member states.
During the meeting, Anand announced several Canadian initiatives aimed at strengthening regional security and development.
Canada will provide $4.5 million to support the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention and strengthen nonproliferation and biosecurity capabilities through the Canada-ASEAN mitigation of biological threats program.
Ottawa will also provide $1.7 million to help communities in the Philippines protect children from exploitation and recruitment by criminal and terrorist networks.
Canada additionally announced a $217,000 initiative with Laos to strengthen the country’s ability to prevent and respond to money laundering and fraud.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
2 min read
1 min read
