Close X
Tuesday, November 12, 2024
ADVT 
National

Canada's promised Indo-Pacific trade representative to be based in Jakarta: Mary Ng

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 05 Sep, 2023 10:25 AM
  • Canada's promised Indo-Pacific trade representative to be based in Jakarta: Mary Ng

Canada will open an export development office in Jakarta and has named an Indo-Pacific trade representative to help Canadian businesses enter new markets in the region, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Tuesday while in Indonesia.

"It's really important for Canadian companies and exporters to grow in this region because when they do, that means good jobs back at home," Trade Minister Mary Ng told reporters in Jakarta.

That is where the new trade representative, Paul Thoppil, will be based, Ng said.

Trudeau arrived in Indonesia earlier Tuesday with a commitment to keep growing his relationship with the southeast Asian country. 

One of his first events was an official visit with President Joko Widodo at his palace.

The two leaders spent their meeting discussing their growing ties, which Canada views as necessary in order to increase its diplomatic and trade presence in the Indo-Pacific region. A trade representative was promised in the Indo-Pacific strategy the Liberal government released last November.

Trudeau, whose eldest son, Xavier, 15, joined him on the trip, announced there will be five coming trade missions to the Indo-Pacific including Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam. 

He also put money on the table: $10 million over five years to help prevent future biological threats like another pandemic, and $13 million toward sexual and reproductive health projects in Indonesia. 

Canada is also loaning Indonesia over $100 million to build green infrastructure for clean water and solar power. 

"The warm welcome and constructive conversations we are having here in Indonesia are a testament to Canada's strong friendships and growing relationship with the Indo-Pacific region," Trudeau said in a statement on Tuesday.

"Together, we're creating good jobs, protecting peace and security, and forging a better future for people on both sides of the Pacific."

But the relationship with Indonesia wasn't always warm, as countries in the region often viewed Canada's presence too episodic. 

"Canada is investing extraordinary resources, people, time, money to build our presence in the region," Ian McKay, Canada's special envoy for the Indo-Pacific, said Tuesday in Jakarta.

"That is exactly what leaders like President Widodo want, and that is represented by the warm relationship he's developed with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau," said McKay, who is also Canada's ambassador to Japan.

The leaders relationship was highlighted during Trudeau's official visit to the Merdeka Palace. 

He gifted Widodo with a Team Canada Basketball jersey with his nickname, Jokowi, on it, and the number seven, which signifies Widodo being the seventh president of Indonesia. 

Days earlier, Team Canada played in Jakarta, where the men's basketball team advanced to the Olympics after beating Spain. 

Trudeau thanked Widodo for the warmth the team received, saying it's a wonderful example of the two countries' deepened relationship.

"It's a normal thing to do to search out better and bigger markets," McKay said, noting the Indo-Pacific strategy is Canada's biggest foreign policy shift in decades. 

Indonesia is Southeast Asia's largest economy and a G20 member with significant potential for economic growth. 

In 2022, Indonesia was Canada's 19th-largest trading partner worldwide and third-largest among southeast Asian countries, with two-way merchandise trade totalling $6.24 billion.

On Wednesday, Trudeau will deliver remarks at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as the 10-nation bloc prepares to make Canada its latest strategic partner, symbolizing the trade progress Canada has made with ASEAN. 

Merchandise trade with the countries in the bloc grew by nearly 29 per cent last year, with agribusiness being one of the largest economic sectors.

Trudeau is also expected to hold talks at the summit with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar bin Ibrahim, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. 

MORE National ARTICLES

Union vote begins on B.C. port deal that could end months-long dispute

Union vote begins on B.C. port deal that could end months-long dispute
A union vote among British Columbia port workers is underway to determine the fate of a deal with employers that could bring their long-running industrial dispute to an end. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada is holding its vote from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. today and tomorrow to decide whether to ratify the agreement recommended by negotiators.

Union vote begins on B.C. port deal that could end months-long dispute

Surrey RCMP needing Tesla Driver's help who passed by a collision scene

Surrey RCMP needing Tesla Driver's help who passed by a collision scene
R-C-M-P in Surrey are looking for the driver of a Tesla who drove by the scene of a fatal collision this weekend. A pedestrian was hit Saturday in the 82-hundred-block of 128th Street and later died in hospital from his injuries.  

Surrey RCMP needing Tesla Driver's help who passed by a collision scene

Busy roads expected for long weekend

Busy roads expected for long weekend
Drivers are being warned to expected increased congestion on the roads starting this evening, ahead of the B-C Day long weekend. People travelling along Highway 1 are encouraged to plan ahead and avoid peak travel times.

Busy roads expected for long weekend

Cloverdale Sport & Ice Complex given the go ahead

Cloverdale Sport & Ice Complex given the go ahead
Surrey Council has approved a 14.5-million-dollar contract for the finishing touches at the Cloverdale Sport and Ice Complex. Mayor Brenda Locke says the first two of three ice sheets are expected to open in September 2024, with the third finished by the summer of 2027.

Cloverdale Sport & Ice Complex given the go ahead

2 shootings in Maple Ridge a day apart

2 shootings in Maple Ridge a day apart
Ridge Meadows RCMP is investigating a report of shots fired at a residence in Maple Ridge that took place early this morning. On Wednesday, at approximately 2:15 a.m., several Ridge Meadows RCMP frontline officers immediately responded to reports of multiple shots fired in the 12000 block of Garden Street in Maple Ridge.

2 shootings in Maple Ridge a day apart

Pledge to plant 2 billion trees lofty but attainable, Natural Resources minister says

Pledge to plant 2 billion trees lofty but attainable, Natural Resources minister says
Wilkinson said in the first two years of the Trudeau government's tree-planting pledge, 110 million trees have been planted, exceeding early targets of 90 million trees during that period.  The minister said in an age of record wildfires and devastating floods, tree planting is an important step in mitigating climate change-related disasters.

Pledge to plant 2 billion trees lofty but attainable, Natural Resources minister says