Asia Watch Archive

The expansion of an LNG facility and the designation of a proposed oil pipeline as a "project of national interest" are priming the pump for even deeper Canada–Asia energy ties, representing two landmark announcements in Ottawa's continuing quest to diversify beyond the U.S.

Sunday was Writ Day in New Zealand, the formal beginning of a campaign that'll likely end with a 'kingmaker' tipping the balance to one of the country's two major parties.

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand addressed the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Saturday in New York City, pledging to “lead other middle powers,” as the foundation of a “new international order” is laid.

Canada and Vietnam upgraded relations to a Strategic Partnership last week during a state visit by Tô Lâm, Vietnam’s president and general secretary of the ruling Communist Party, the first visit to Canada by a Vietnamese general secretary since diplomatic ties were established in 1973.

A crucial spell of Indo-Pacific diplomacy awaits Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney this fall as he prepares for expected trips to the Philippines, Cambodia, and China, and gets ready to host leaders from across Asia.

Canadian trade negotiators are racing to close deals with two Asian markets representing nearly 2.2 billion people, setting up a frenetic few months of talks and trips on both sides of the Pacific.

Ottawa is looking to conclude trade talks with India and ASEAN, a bloc of 11 Southeast Asian states, by the end of 2026. Canada’s ongoing trade dispute with the U.S. has made meeting that deadline all the more important.

Genta Koja won Okinawa’s gubernatorial election with 59 per cent of the vote on Sunday, benefiting Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae, who backed Koja, and increasing the odds of more defence infrastructure in Okinawa.

Financiers responsible for C$100 trillion in assets gathered in Toronto this week for two days of dealmaking as Canada looks to supercharge investment over the next five years.

New Delhi finds itself in a tricky position this weekend, hosting leaders from China, Russia, and Iran while trying not to jeopardize ties with the U.S., its largest market for goods and services and a key security partner.

Canadian and Chinese officials met in Ottawa for a defence co-ordination dialogue on September 4, reviving a mechanism dormant for eight years.

The leaders of China, India, and Russia met in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Monday and Tuesday for the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a security-focused group of largely Central Asian states.

SCO members include Belarus, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. This week, leaders discussed the U.S.–Iran conflict, the Russia–Ukraine war, and other regional issues.

India’s real GDP grew 7.8 per cent in the April–June quarter this year, beating estimates and confirming India as the world’s fastest-growing large economy.

On August 13, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong cancelled collaborations between the Australian National University and China's Shandong University and between the University of Queensland (UQ) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the first such order under the country’s 2020 Foreign Relations Act.

U.S. President Donald Trump resorted to threats and name-calling in his on-again, off-again trade war with Canada this week, adding urgency to Ottawa’s Indo-Pacific trade negotiations and delighting Beijing, for one, with more evidence of what it described as the “failure of U.S. policy.”

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a 75-minute Independence Day speech on Saturday, listing his accomplishments, outlining his priorities, and attempting to "awaken the strength of the nation."

The U.S. inched further away from the Indo-Pacific this week, abruptly reducing its involvement in military exercises with South Korea and relocating an aircraft carrier from Asia to the Middle East.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that the U.S. would “substantially reduce” its involvement alongside South Korea in the “Ulchi Freedom Shield” exercises, originally scheduled for August 17–27.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung's political honeymoon has screeched to a halt over market instability, "soaring" housing prices, and other controversies.

Over the past nine days, truckers, shopkeepers, sailors, chefs, and even the president himself sprang into action across Taiwan, contributing to an islan

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled to Indonesia, Australia, and New Zealand last week, focusing on defence, uranium, and trade.

Over the weekend, 14 countries, including Canada, reaffirmed support for a decade-old ruling that invalidates Beijing's sweeping claims over much of the South China Sea, siding with the Philippines and, in the process, attracting China's ire.