Sunday, November 27, 2022
Mélanie Joly, Foreign Minister of Canada
Canada is a Pacific nation. The Indo-Pacific region is Canada’s neighbourhood. It is the world’s fastest-growing economic region and accounts for 65% of the global population. By 2030, it will be home to two thirds of the global middle class.
The Indo-Pacific is Canada’s second-largest regional export market, after the United States, with annual 2-way trade valued at $226 billion.
Within the region, ASEAN member states represent the fifth-largest economy in the world, with a combined GDP of US$3.3 trillion. With 661 million people, ASEAN member states have the third-largest population in the world.
As a group, ASEAN member state economies represent Canada’s fourth-largest trading partner. In 2021, Canada-ASEAN merchandise trade was valued at $31.6 billion.
The Indo-Pacific Strategy document says that every issue that matters to Canadians—national security, economic prosperity, respect for international law and human rights, democratic values, public health, protecting our environment—will be shaped by the relationships that Canada, along with its partners, have with countries throughout the Indo-Pacific.
The document says that the ambitious plan has been prepared to help defend Canadian values. It proposes an investment of $2.3 billion over the next five years.
CHINA: The Indo-Pacific Strategy document says: “China is an increasingly disruptive global power. China is looking to shape the international order into a more permissive environment for interests and values that increasingly depart from ours.”
Relations with China started deteriorating when in 2018, Canada detained Meng Wanzhou, CFO, Huawei Technologies. She is the daughter of the founder of Huawei. China, in return, arrested two Canadians – Former Diplomat Michael Kovrig and business man Michael Spavor – on spurious charges of spying. They were released on Friday, 24th September 2021 after USA agreed to defer prosecution of Meng Wanzhou and she was released.
Canada has not taken kindly to Beijing’s interference in the internal affairs of Canada. China is said to have established Police Stations in Canada, ostensibly for providing emergency services to Canadian citizens of Chinese descent if the Police Station is informed through mobile phone or through e-mail. These Police Stations are said to be used for coercive treatment of Chinese, staying in Canada and for interference in elections in Canada. At Bali, at a bilateral meeting, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau conveyed Canada’s unhappiness at this interference by China. The Prime Minister mentioned to Canadian correspondents that he had conveyed to President Xi Jinping the need for ensuring that such interference is stopped by China. President Xi Jinping collared Prime Minister at the Dinner meeting at Bali and expressed in public his displeasure at leakage of information about the discussions at the bilateral meeting with Trudeau.
In November 2022, Canadian Government ordered three Chinese companies to divest their investments in Canadian critical minerals, citing national security.
The Indo-Pacific Strategy document also said that Ottawa would review and update legislation enabling it to act “decisively when investments from China’s state-owned enterprises and other foreign entities threaten our national security, including our critical minerals supply chains.”
On Sunday, 27th November 2022, Mélanie Joly, Foreign Minister of Canada presented an ambitious plan in the Indo-Pacific Strategy, beginning with an investment of almost $2.3 billion over the next five years.
The 5 interconnected strategic objectives are as follows:
1. Promoting peace, resilience, and security: Canada will invest over $720 million to increase its Naval presence and for cyber security programs.
2. Expanding trade, investment, and supply-chain resilience: To foster open, rules-based trade and support Canada’s economic prosperity, Canada will invest $240.6 million.
3. Investing in and connecting people: To forge stronger people-to-people ties with the Indo-Pacific, Canada will contribute $261.7 million.
4. Building a sustainable and green future: As part of its commitment to build a clean future, Canada has committed a total of $913.3 million. This includes, but is not limited to:
- $750 million to enhance the capacity of FinDev Canada to expand its operations into the Indo-Pacific and accelerate its work in priority markets in order to support high-quality, sustainable infrastructure.
- $84.3 million to help reinforce a healthy marine environment in the Indo-Pacific region including enhanced measures against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
5. Canada as an active and engaged partner in the Indo-Pacific: To strengthen its presence, visibility and influence in the region, Canada has committed a total of $143.3 million.
“The Indo-Pacific region is vital for Canada’s immigration and will continue to be in the future. Today’s announcement brings significant new funding to help boost Canada’s visa application processing capacity at home and abroad.” – Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
Reference: Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy at https://www.international.gc.ca/transparency-transparence/assets/pdfs/indo-pacific-indo-pacifique/indo-pacific-indo-pacifique-en.pdf