Prime Minister Mark Carney is pitching Canada as a dependable companion for Southeast Asia, one which’s dedicated to rules-based commerce at a time when U.S. President Donald Trump is rewriting world commerce norms.
He’s heading to the Affiliation of Southeast Asian Nations summit, often known as ASEAN, looking for to drum up funding into Canada that can assist obtain the nation-building plans that fashioned a central plank of the Liberals’ election platform.
In a speech previewing his authorities’s first finances, Carney mentioned Wednesday that Canada has set a purpose to double exports to markets outdoors the USA within the subsequent decade, some $300 billion of latest commerce, as Canada tries to diversify its markets.
About 24 hours after Carney’s speech, Trump abruptly referred to as off commerce negotiations with Canada, citing his frustration with an Ontario authorities anti-tariff advert marketing campaign working on American TV networks.
Trump is about to attend the ASEAN summit this week, however the Prime Minister’s Workplace mentioned Friday that he and Carney wouldn’t have a gathering set.
The president instructed reporters on the White Home Friday night time that he had no plans to talk or meet with Carney, and referred to as the Ontario advert “crooked” and “presumably AI.”
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Wayne Farmer, the president of the Canada-ASEAN Enterprise Council, mentioned the Canadian authorities is partaking extra with companies within the area.
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“I believe ASEAN may be very desirous to do extra with Canada, seeing us as a dependable, steady companion that they will plan to work with,” he mentioned in an interview from Singapore on Wednesday.
Senior authorities officers, talking to reporters on background on Thursday, mentioned that for many years Canada seen the 10-nation bloc largely as a improvement companion – however they’re now thought-about more and more essential business companions.
Carney is attending the ASEAN leaders’ summit as a visitor of the chair, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
The pair is scheduled to carry a bilateral assembly on Monday to speak about inexperienced vitality and demanding minerals.
Carney can also be set to fulfill with an oil and fuel firm and Malaysia’s central financial institution earlier than visiting an aerospace facility through the two-day cease within the capital of Kuala Lumpur.
Farmer mentioned the Carney authorities is sending optimistic indicators via its major-projects laws, with plans to fast-track approvals for vital tasks which can be deemed to be within the nationwide curiosity.
“We’ve made issues extremely difficult in Canada to speculate into, significantly in massive infrastructure packages,” Farmer mentioned.
The shift in tone and focus from this authorities is well-received, Farmer mentioned, although “the proof continues to be in our capability to execute.”
ASEAN nations, which embody a number of the world’s fastest-growing economies and populations, are targeted on enhancing their vitality safety and meals safety.
Vina Nadjibulla, vice-president of the Asia Pacific Basis, mentioned Canada has the experience to assist develop analysis in areas like agriculture and the event of fortified grains and pulses.
“The world has modified and everyone’s attempting to determine methods to diversify and methods to cut back vulnerability and the way to make sure their very own financial resilience,” she mentioned.
Malaysia is already a companion within the first section of LNG Canada. LNG 2 is on the checklist of main tasks for which the Liberal authorities has agreed to fast-track approvals.
Nuclear energy is a precedence for quite a few nations, together with Vietnam and Malaysia, and an space the place Nadjibulla mentioned Canada has each capability and expertise.
Kai Ostwald, the director of the Institute of Asian Analysis on the College of British Columbia, mentioned Canada may discover widespread floor with ASEAN nations on its method to safety.
“Canada is similar to most nations in Southeast Asia as not being massive sufficient, wealthy sufficient, highly effective sufficient to vary geopolitics, however needing to navigate them within the bigger collective the place potential,” Ostwald mentioned at a panel hosted by the Asia Pacific Basis in September.
Canada and ASEAN are working towards a commerce settlement that many anticipate to be signed in early 2026. The 2 sides are additionally working to finalize the following section of a five-year motion plan that’s set to run out on the finish of this 12 months.
This report by The Canadian Press was first revealed Oct. 25, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
