Prime Minister Mark Carney has wrapped up a brief visit to the Philippines and is heading to Cambodia, as the government pushes for more trade access in the region.
On his one-night visit to Manila, Carney attended a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, announced the conclusion of free-trade negotiations with the Philippines and unveiled funding for protecting tropical rainforests.
“What Canada presents is certainty to the world,” Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu told reporters in Manila on Sunday, which was late Saturday in Canada.
Carney was among foreign leaders including U.S. President Donald Trump who were invited to the summit by the Philippine chair, who is holding the rotating presidency of ASEAN, a bloc of 11 countries.
Ottawa is continuing talks for a trade deal with ASEAN, which Sidhu said would give Canada access to smaller countries, while Canada also has deeper agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines.
“You can get more into the weeds. You can upgrade later on, when you’re dealing with (one deal that is) bilateral, as opposed to an agreement with 11 partners,” he said in Manila on Sunday, which was late Saturday in Canada.
“It’s the fastest growing region in the world, 700 million consumers, an economy valued at $6 trillion.”
Sidhu also expressed confidence for Canadian pork producers, as the Philippines moves toward restricting pork imports from a wide array of countries, including Canada.
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“They’ve got a global safeguards investigation … for 60 days. Canada is not the culprit, and you’ll find out once the investigation is done,” he said.
Carney also met meet with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on the sidelines of the summit, where he announced $540 million for an initiative to protect rainforests, as part of a project co-led by Brazil and Norway.
The money is part of a $6 billion fund promised by Ottawa this spring in support for international climate finance. It is meant to attract public and private investment for preserving biodiversity and supporting communities that rely on these ecosystems.
Through an interpreter, Lula described the money as investments that will yield a profit and not “donations, money for free.”
Carney suggested he would have further talks with Brazil, which is part of the Mercosur trade bloc with whom Canada is negotiating a trade deal. Lula’s office has previously said Carney would visit the country.
“By May, we will also have an opportunity to discuss our economic co-operation, our largest training partner in Latin America by far, (with) $15 billion dollars in trade,” Carney said.
Carney is now en route to Cambodia for a summit of the Francophonie, including a side event on technology trade in Phnom Penh.
While there, Carney will meet with Quebec Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon who is pushing for more autonomy in Quebec’s international relations, though Sidhu says Ottawa is working constructively with the province.
“Quebec has many of their own trade officers in our embassies around the world, and we’ll continue working collaboratively,” Sidhu said, noting that Quebec’s aerospace sector has recently achieved large sales in Asia.
Later this week, Carney will attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation summit in China, months after Carney and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to have a limited number of Chinese electrical vehicles sold in Canada.
Sidhu also said Chinese automaker Chery is among those seeking Transport Canada certification to sell lower-cost vehicles into Canada. He said some Chinese manufacturers will likely clear that process by the end of the year.
He said he is also hopeful Chinese companies will create automotive jobs for Canadians.
“There is an interest from Chinese manufacturers to utilize our workforce in Canada, but before you invest billions of dollars you need to understand the market,” he said.
“Every time I sit down with them I look at what they’re doing in Europe and I ask them how they can replicate that in Canada with Canadian supply chains, with Canadian workers.”
The minister said Canada is still navigating trade issues with China, despite some recent progress on extending access to beef, canola meal, crab and peas.
“We’re still continuing to engage on pork, on pet food and others. We’re not relenting,” he said.
Sidhu also said Canada is working with Beijing to have more opportunities for Canadian small and medium businesses to sell consumer goods to China on online platforms like Alibaba.
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