In the News

Canada’s PM Mark Carney courts Asia to cut economic dependence on US

Financial Times, October 24, 2025

Featuring: Vice-President, Research & Strategy, APF Canada, Vina Najibulla

Excerpt: Nadjibulla tells the Financial Times that Carney's first official trip to Asia is part of a project to “reimagining Canada’s foreign policy”.

“Old assumptions are no longer holding, so we need to change the way we approach the world; it’s pragmatic diplomacy."

Carney faced with balancing relations with China, U.S. as he departs for summits

The Canadian Press, October 24, 2025

Featuring: Vice-President, Research & Strategy, APF Canada, Vina Najibulla

Excerpt: When it comes to the China-U.S. trade dispute, Nadjibulla says that canada and Indo-Pacific middle powers are trying not to get caught in the middle of "the two giants that are now engaged in strategic competition."

“We want to do more together as middle powers through rules based trade partnerships."

She notes that the federal government will be focused on push through negotiations on the Canada-ASEAN FTA. The ASEAN region "collectively represent[s] about 667 million people, and it's a large opportunity for [Canada] because they have a growing middle class, a growing economy, lots of needs for things like energy, food, obviously investment, infrastructure support, support through technology.”

Prime Minister Carney's first trip to Asia starts this week with ASEAN, APEC summits

The Canadian Press , October 24, 2025

Featuring: Vice-President, Research & Strategy, APF Canada, Vina Najibulla

Excerpt: "I think this is an opportunity for Canadians and for the regional partners to hear from Prime Minister Carney, his vision for engaging with the Indo-Pacific, how he's intending to deepen trade and economic relations as well as security partnerships," says Nadjibulla on Carney's upcoming trip to Asia this week.

"Southeast Asia has been kind of the epicentre of the U.S.-China competition" and ASEAN nations are "really keen to have Japan, Australia, the European Union, India and Canada in the room as strategic partners to engage with the region."

PM Carney makes his Asia debut

The Hill Times - Politics This Morning , October 24, 2025

Featuring: Vice-President, Research & Strategy, APF Canada, Vina Najibulla

Excerpt: In Malaysia, Nadjibulla says Prime Minister Carney will likely look to “make some political signals” on finalizing the Canada-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement.

While the FTA has gone through a negotiation committee with 14 meetings over the last few years, Nadjibullas says that it seems "unlikely that the talks will conclude this year, and Canada is now looking to finalize the agreement by 2026."

Canada's Carney visits Asia to forge new alliances and reduce US dependence

Reuters, October 24, 2025

Featuring: Vice-President, Research & Strategy, APF Canada, Vina Najibulla

Excerpt: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney travels to Asia today for his first official visit to the region to expand Canada's trading and diplomatic relationships.

"While the world economy is fragmenting, Carney needs to make it clear that Canada stands apart and is still interested in rules-based trade and globalization," says Vina Nadjibulla.

Anand says Canada is in a ‘strategic partnership’ with China

The Canadian Press, October 23, 2025

Featuring: Vice-President, Research & Strategy, APF Canada, Vina Najibulla

Excerpt: "Selective engagement" with China, Nadjibulla tells the Canadian Press, is hard and complicated to achieve.

“China doesn’t like to compartmentalize,” she said. “Normally, China likes to have much more linkages between issues.”

She adds that calling Beijing a strategic partner and renewing the 2005 pact makes it unclear how Canada will manage Washington’s concerns about China’s trade practices.

“I don’t know if a strategic partnership is the exact right framing of that relationship,” she said. “It’s been brought back in the context of (us) celebrating 20 years, but I think we now need to actually explain to Canadians what that looks like.”

Business Brief: A new opening with India

The Globe and Mail, October 23, 2025

Featuring: Vice-President, Research & Strategy, APF Canada, Vina Najibulla

Excerpt: Nadjibulla tells The Globe and Mail that Canada is engaging in an "intentional reset [with India] after a very difficult period. Canada had identified India as a critical partner in our Indo-Pacific Strategy, recognizing its rise as a regional and global power – now the fourth-largest economy, an important leader of the Global South, and a key player in balancing China’s influence.

"... We just released new polling with Angus Reid that shows a majority of Canadians support the diplomatic reset launched by Prime Minister Carney. But overall perceptions of India remain more negative than positive."

In terms of what Canadians should take away from Canada's joint ministerial statement with India, she says that "both governments are serious about co-operation – and that Canadians are right to want both prosperity and principles. We can uphold human rights and the rule of law while building deeper economic ties. That’s what effective statecraft is supposed to do."

Unknown if Canada will be allowed to fully staff embassy in India amid political tensions

CTV News, October 22, 2025

Featuring: President & CEO, APF Canada, Jeff Nankivell

Excerpt: According to Nankivell, Canada does not have a "full complement" of staff at it's embassy in India yet, as Canada looks to thaw relations with the South Asian nation.

While Nankivell says this is a "major roadblock in the relationship," he stresses that diplomatic measures like these are done on a "reciprocal basis... if India has faced delays in getting visas for diplomats, either those posted or those travelling to Canada, it would be normal for them to want to exert some pressure [in a] administrative operational manner to say 'we are going to withhold certain things from you until you are fully satisfying us.'"

He stresses that both governments have shown clear signals that they want the Canada-India relationship to move forward at a steady pace, suggesting these issues are "resolvable."

‘Building trust between Canada and India is going to take time’: Nadjibula

CTV News, October 22, 2025

Featuring: Vice-President, Research & Strategy, APF Canada, Vina Nadjibulla

Excerpt: Amidst conflicting reports on embassy staffing between Canada-India, Nadjibulla tells CTV News that "re-building trust between Canada and India is going to take time, but it is important to take a step back and note that Minister Anand's trip to India... was still quite significant... the joint statement the two countries adopted laid out a number of specific areas where both Canada and India want to co-operate... but in order to make that a reality we need diplomats in each others and we need Canadian diplomats to be based in India to make that work happen.

"This discussion around visas and around getting our diplomats back on the ground in each others countries needs to continue at the highest levels."

Carney fourth most travelled G7 leader since becoming prime minister, prioritizing trips to Europe and the U.S.

The Hill Times, October 22, 2025

Featuring: Vice-President, Research & Strategy, APF Canada, Vina Nadjibulla

Excerpt: “We’re seeing this fall more attention to the Indo-Pacific, which was anticipated and was necessary given that the region is critical to Canada’s prosperity and security—and the focus until recently had been on Europe," says Nadjibulla of Carney's upcoming visit to the Indo-Pacific region.

She notes the upcoming summit calendar, including the ASEAN summit in Malaysia and the APEC summit in South Korea, as key opportunities for Canada to engage with Asia leaders and key an eye on.

US-China now in a ‘very different kind of trade war’, experts warn

Al Jazeera, October 21, 2025

Featuring: Vice-President, Research & Strategy, APF Canada, Vina Nadjibulla

Excerpt: Nadjibulla explains the impact of China's latest restriction on the export of rare earths and what she calls the “information war” between China and the U.S.

“For the first time, China is doing this extra-terrestrial action that applies to other countries as well [with its amped up export restrictions on rare-earths]. They are prepared to match every US escalation, and have the US back down... This is a very different kind of a trade war than we were experiencing even three months ago.”

Canada defends dropping some counter tariffs against US and China

Global News, October 21, 2025

Featuring: Vice-President, Research & Strategy, APF Canada, Vina Nadjibulla

Excerpt: The Canadian federal government announced exemptions on counter tariffs for some Chinese and American steel and aluminum imports, dividing Canadian businesses and stakeholders.

From the China perspective, Nadjibulla notes that "relaxing our defences against that [counter tariff] policy from China at this current moment seems hard to understand" as Canadian canola exports struggle to find a new home and Canada faces continued pressure to drop its tariffs on Chinese EVs.

Who is Japan's newest hardline conservative prime minister?

Global News, October 21, 2025

Featuring: Senior Research Scholar, Northeast Asia, Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, Sun Ryung Park

Excerpt: Sanae Takaichi has been elected Japan's prime minister, the first in the nation's history, after a coalition deal between the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), for which she was elected leader to replace Shigeru Ishiba, and the Japan Innovation Party.

Park explains her leadership win to Global News: "Facing consecutive electoral setbacks, the party chose Takaichi with hardline credentials to prevent a defection among their supporters to the far-right."

Business Brief: Diwali’s light finds cloudy skies

The Globe and Mail - Business Brief, October 20, 2025

Featuring: Vice-President, Research & Strategy, APF Canada, Vina Nadjibulla

Excerpt: Economic uncertainty and public skepticism around the Canada-India relationship has brought an "understandable" sense of unease "across Indo-Canadian hubs" ahead of Diwali, notes Nadjibulla.

While the Foundation's recent poll conducted with the Angus Reid Institute shows that a "majority of Canadians support a diplomatic reset with India," views of the country "remain largely unfavourable" and "Canadians are now evenly divided between prioritizing the rule of law and expanding trade."

Nadjibulla characterizies this public response to the diplomatic whiplash for The Globe and Mail: “People see the headlines shifting so quickly – from diplomatic crisis to talk of trade – and they want to know what’s really changed."

CTV National News: How energy exports could play a key role in mending Canada-India relations

CTV News, October 20, 2025

Featuring: President & CEO, APF Canada, Jeff Nankivell

Excerpt: "Energy is clearly going to be a big part" of the Canada-India trade relationship, according to Nankivell.

"I think what we are seeing from the India side is signalling that they are interested... they are looking to see what Canada has to offer."

He adds that the ongoing tensions and investigations related to former prime minister Trudeau's accusations against India "will continue to be a challenge for both governments."

The lure of China- What Carney hopes to gain from a Canadian reset with Beijing

The Globe and Mail, October 18, 2025

Featuring: Vice-President, Research & Strategy, APF Canada, Vina Nadjibulla

Excerpt: Nadjibulla notes that while Canada can export more oil and liquefied natural gas and agri-food products to China, it comes with a significant risk of over-dependence. She adds that Beijing has a tendency to link trade and diplomatic relations, meaning an uptake in economic trade may entail expectations from China on Canada’s stance on diplomatic issues such as Taiwan or its position on the South China Sea.

“The goal is not to contain China but to contain our vulnerability to the Chinese Communist Party," said Nadjibulla.

Who was Tomekichi Homma? Graphic novel tells story of Japanese pioneer's fight to vote in Canada

Richmond News, October 16, 2025

Featuring: Vice-President, Research & Strategy, APF Canada, Vina Nadjibulla

Excerpt: Tomey: The Unyielding Spirit of Tomekichi Homma, written by Jeff Chiba Sterns and illustrated by Ally Adachi, sheds light on the biographical details of Japanese pioneer Tomekichi Homma who fought for the right to vote in Canada.

The graphic novel was published by the National Coalition of Canadians Against Anti-Asian Racism (NCCAAR) and the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada.

Chiba Sterns says that Tomey is a story of “perseverance, resilience and fighting for what’s right... he fought with his words, and his words had power."

Download a free pdf version of the book here.

Handling Canada-China relations in an age of weaponized supply chains

The Hill Times, October 16, 2025

Featuring: Vice-President, Research & Strategy, APF Canada, Vina Nadjibulla

Excerpt: In a new opinion piece published by The Hill Times, Nadjibulla warns of Canada's over-reliance on China and emphasizes the need to foster new economic partnerships.

"Last week, China’s ambassador to Canada bluntly declared that Beijing would lift its tariffs on Canadian canola if Ottawa removed tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. What was once coercion by stealth is now coercion in plain sight. The message was no surprise—everyone understood that canola tariffs were leverage to pressure Ottawa on EVs—but the timing was telling.

"We have entered a new era where trade, technology, and security are fused—and leverage is the currency of power... (o)ver-reliance on a single buyer or market is no longer just an economic risk; it is a strategic vulnerability."

Next stop: Singapore

The Hill Times - Politics This Morning, October 15, 2025

Featuring: Vice-President, Research & Strategy, APF Canada, Vina Nadjibulla

Excerpt: The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada marked the official opening of its Asia Regional Office in Singapore this week during Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand's visit to the region.

Nadjibulla tells The Hill Times that "one of the reasons why APF Canada was given funding [by the federal government] is recognizing that civil society plays an important role in implementation of that [Indo-Pacific] strategy and that we need people-to-people connectivity... We need exchange of researchers and ideas. We need businesses to come together…So, it’s essentially a space for Canada to engage with the region.”

Anand’s trip to India and China part of ‘diplomatic reset’ as Canada pursues new trading partners

The Hill Times, October 15, 2025

Featuring: Vice-President, Research & Strategy, APF Canada, Vina Nadjibulla

Excerpt: Nadjibulla tells The Hill Times that it is “absolutely critical” for Canada to diversify its trade partnerships amid an unpredictable economic upheaval from the U.S. Administration.

“The big change since the Trudeau era is that we’re seeing India collaborate and engage constructively."

Nadjibulla also noted that the joint Canada-India statement following Anand's visit was “a big step forward” in the bilateral relationship as it was “ambitious, comprehensive, and also focuses on specific issues Canada and India can work on together."

In the News

APF Canada's media responses to the latest issues and events in Asia presented in chronological order