Close X
Sunday, November 24, 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

As Singh tours Atlantic Canada, New Democrats look to flip Liberal seats

As Singh tours Atlantic Canada, New Democrats look to flip Liberal seats
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is touring Atlantic Canada in an effort to highlight affordability issues — and flip two Liberal seats in the next federal election. Singh says voters who are increasingly struggling with the cost of living are dissatisfied with the federal government.

As Singh tours Atlantic Canada, New Democrats look to flip Liberal seats

Residents of Osoyoos, B.C., heading home after harrowing fire fight

Residents of Osoyoos, B.C., heading home after harrowing fire fight
BC Wildfire Service spokeswoman Shaelee Stearns says the reins in the fight against the Eagle Bluff fire are being transitioned to a new management team that will be in constant contact with U.S. counterparts. The fire has scorched more than 14 square kilometres on the B.C. side of the border and 40 square kilometres on the U.S side, where it has destroyed several structures.

Residents of Osoyoos, B.C., heading home after harrowing fire fight

Family of man who died in plane crash, along with five others, remembered as loving

Family of man who died in plane crash, along with five others, remembered as loving
Kirk Mealey was one of the six people aboard a small private plane that took off from Springbank Airport, west of Calgary, on Friday night and was headed to Salmon Arm, B.C. A family statement says Mealey's wife is expecting their son to be born late in August.

Family of man who died in plane crash, along with five others, remembered as loving

United Blvd. / Burbidge St. shut down in Coquitlam due to crash

United Blvd. / Burbidge St. shut down in Coquitlam due to crash
Officers responded to the accident and currently have the road closed both directions at United Blvd. / Burbidge St. Coquitlam B.C. The investigation is in the evidence gathering phase.

United Blvd. / Burbidge St. shut down in Coquitlam due to crash

Trudeau appears at news conference with bandage after bumping head

Trudeau appears at news conference with bandage after bumping head
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appeared at a news conference Monday with a bandage in the middle of his forehead.  A spokesperson for Trudeau says he bumped his head while he was playing with his kids over the weekend.   

Trudeau appears at news conference with bandage after bumping head

2 homicides in Prince George

2 homicides in Prince George
The Mounties say in the first incident, a woman was found dead in a Prince George home on July 17. They say a day later, a 22-year-old woman was found dead in what police say was a targeted event.  

2 homicides in Prince George