OTTAWA — Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand is headed off to Japan and Malaysia as the Carney government shapes its diplomatic and trade approach to the Indo-Pacific region. Anand will meet with her Japanese counterpart in Tokyo this week as the two finalize an agreement on sharing defence information and boosting trade. On Thursday and Friday, Anand will take part in a meeting with the Association of South East Asian Nations, or ASEAN, in Malaysia. Canada is looking to sign a trade deal with the ASEAN bloc this year, and in 2023 entered into a strategic partnership with the bloc that’s expected to lead to business expansion, educational exchanges and projects combating biological threats. Anand’s visit comes ahead of this fall’s ASEAN leader’s summit in Malaysia, which Prime Minister Mark Carney says he will attend. Carney has largely focused on defence, security and trade ties with European nations in his first months in office, though he did sign a deal with Australia for an Arctic radar system. Former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s government launched an Indo-Pacific strategy in 2022, seeking more trade and defence ties as a means to counter dependence on China. In a report on the strategy’s implementation published last week, Global Affairs Canada says it has posted more than 70 new diplomats across the region since the strategy was launched. Kai Ostwald, a University of British Columbia political scientist, wrote in a recent analysis that Canada is building its brand in Southeast Asia through visits by the prime minister and a series of educational and trade delegations. He wrote for the Asia Pacific Foundation that interest in Canada has been boosted by U.S. President Donald Trump pushing away from multilateralism and international trade. “Even if Canada cannot offer clarity on the path ahead, many in the region want it at the table as an interlocutor and sounding board while they navigate the turbulence,” Ostwald wrote. He said Canada can benefit from being seen as a middle power that hasn’t colonized other countries, particularly if it can articulate a China policy that is cautious but not adversarial. By Dylan Robertson.
