Canadian trade efforts were boosted in one country, while geopolitical tensions undermined Canadian efforts at improving relations in another, during Justin Trudeau’s visit to southern Asia.
The mixed bag of results came as the prime minister and International Trade Minister Mary Ng visited Indonesia, Singapore and India.
There were smiles as Canada declared its intentions to open a trade development office in Jakarta and appoint Paul Thoppill as a trade representative in the sprawling state, which has 274 million people.
“It’s really important for Canadian companies and exporters to grow in this region because when they do, that means good jobs back home,” said Ng.
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Indonesia is a major importer of Canadian wheat and soybeans. In 2021, Canada exported $71.1 billion in agrifood and seafood to Indonesia, while importing $32.1 billion, making it a huge net importer of Canadian food.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo invited Trudeau to his palace, where Trudeau presented him with a Team Canada basketball jersey with his nickname and a “7,” representing his historical position as the seventh president of the country.
Trudeau and Ng’s visit was timed for the Association of South East Asian Nations summit, to which Canada is an ancillary member. The government has said southeast Asia is an area of growing importance not just in general in the world economy, but to Canada as it tries to reduce its overreliance on giant markets like the United States and China, with whom relations are often fraught.
The mood was less jovial in India, where Trudeau attended the G20 summit, which focused on geopolitical tensions. The Ukraine war overshadowed the event, while Trudeau and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spent their brief one-on-one session complaining about each other’s behaviour on Sikh secessionism.
Modi said Canada doesn’t do enough to restrain “extremist” elements in its Indian population, while Trudeau chastised India’s alleged interference in domestic Canadian Indian populations.
Much attention was paid in both Canadian and Indian media to Trudeau’s unwillingness to take part in an extended hand clasp with Modi, something which was said to symbolize the testy relationship.
India, like Indonesia, is a major market for Canadian farm products, such as pulse crops, so Canada-India relations are always keenly watched by Canada’s agricultural community.
