Prime Minister Justin Trudeau takes part in a bilateral meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim during the ASEAN summit, in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Sept. 6.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
Some Southeast Asian leaders see Canada as an anchor for peace in the Indo-Pacific region, as they launch a new strategic partnership at a time when tensions continue to mount over territorial claims in the South China Sea.
“As a strategic partner, I hope Canada can become an anchor for peace and stability in the region that respects international law, and that encourages co-operation that are more concrete and inclusive, in particular in the Indo-Pacific region,” said Indonesian President Joko Widodo as he welcomed Canada into a new strategic partnership on Wednesday.
The partnership with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is considered a symbolic gesture that reflects Canada’s expanded presence in the Indo-Pacific region. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in a speech to ASEAN leaders Wednesday, said it shows the progress being made on a free-trade agreement between Canada and the 10-nation bloc.
Mr. Trudeau, in a Wednesday speech to ASEAN leaders, said it shows the progress being made on a free-trade agreement between Canada and the 10-nation bloc.
“We share clear commitments to peace and stability, openness and transparency, to development and economic co-operation, and to an understanding that international rules are essential for growth,” Mr. Trudeau said.
Mr. Trudeau has been meeting with leaders this week on the sidelines of the annual ASEAN summit.
China, Taiwan and some ASEAN member states – Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam – have for decades been locked in an increasingly tense territorial standoff in the South China Sea, where a bulk of global trade transits.
China has upset many countries in the Asia-Pacific region after it released a new official map that lays claim to most of the South China Sea, as well as to contested parts of India and Russia.
Most of the governments disputing China’s claims in the South China Sea are ASEAN members. India, meanwhile, is hosting the G20 talks later this week, which Mr. Trudeau is set to attend.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Trudeau held private meetings on the sideline of the summit with leaders of Malaysia, Vietnam, Korea, Philippines and Australia.
Mr. Trudeau used his bilateral meeting with Philippine President Fernandez Marcos Jr. to extend an invitation for the leader to visit Canada next year.
The presidential communications office for Mr. Marcos Jr. said he will be in Canada to celebrate 75 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
Mr. Trudeau met with Mr. Marcos Jr. for about 30 minutes on Wednesday, where the two discussed their long-standing partnership and the large Filipino diaspora community in Canada.
During Mr. Trudeau’s meeting with Prime Minister of Vietnam Pham Minh Chinh and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the leaders separately discussed their commitment to defending the rules-based international order and having a free and open Indo-Pacific region, said a readout from the Prime Minister’s office.
Mr. Trudeau also expressed interest to ASEAN leaders that Canada would like to join the East Asia Summit and the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting Plus, which strengthens security and defence co-operation for peace, stability and development.
A joint statement between Canada and the 10 Southeast Asian countries on Wednesday lays out a commitment to tackle global food insecurity and nutritional needs together. It’s part of Canada’s commitment to invest in the Indo-Pacific region on green infrastructure and supply-chain resilience, especially around food supply.
Delivering a speech at the ASEAN-Indo-Pacific Forum, Mr. Trudeau said Canada is focused on investing in renewable energy, sustainable energy and water projects within the region.
Mr. Trudeau also pitched Canada as a reliable supplier of natural resources such as fertilizer and critical minerals, saying Canada has the clean energy the world needs to help with their green-energy transition.
The Prime Minister has been well received at the summit, with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol calling Mr. Trudeau a close friend, and someone he always wants to run into.
Mr. Trudeau left for Singapore on Thursday, then heads to the G20 Summit in New Delhi later this week.
Meanwhile, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on Wednesday it is important to avoid a “new Cold War” when dealing with conflicts between countries.
Speaking at an annual summit involving ASEAN members and China, Japan and South Korea, Mr. Li said countries needed to “appropriately handle differences and disputes.”
“At present, it is very important to oppose taking sides, bloc confrontation and a new Cold War,” Mr. Li told the meeting.
ASEAN, which has warned of the danger of getting dragged into major powers’ disputes, is also holding wider talks with Mr. Li, U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris and leaders of partner countries including Japan, South Korea, Australia and India.
Neither U.S. President Joe Biden nor his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, is attending.
High on the agenda at the gatherings in Jakarta is concern about China’s increasingly assertive activity in the South China Sea, an important trade corridor in which several ASEAN members have claims that conflict with China.
In remarks at the start of her meeting with ASEAN leaders, Ms. Harris said the United States was committed to the region.
“The United States has an enduring commitment to Southeast Asia and more broadly to the Indo-Pacific,” she said.
Ms. Harris also said the United States would continue to press the Myanmar junta to end “horrific violence” that has erupted since a military coup in 2021.
A White House official had earlier said Ms. Harris would “underscore the United States’ and ASEAN’s shared interest in upholding the rules-based international order, including in the South China Sea, in the face of China’s unlawful maritime claims and provocative actions.”
ASEAN this week discussed with China accelerating negotiations on a long-discussed code of conduct for the waterway, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said.
The issue also came up during an ASEAN-Japan summit where leaders “expressed the importance of keeping situations in the region conducive, especially in the Korean Peninsula and also the South China Sea,” she said.
The United States and its allies have echoed ASEAN’s calls for freedom of navigation and overflight and to refrain from building a physical presence in disputed waters. China has built various facilities, including runways, on tiny outcrops in the sea.
With files from Reuters.