Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney was in New York City earlier this week for the UN General Assembly’s (UNGA) High-Level Week, but scored his biggest diplomatic coup at home on Wednesday, signing the Canada-Indonesia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in Ottawa alongside Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.
Negotiations for the CEPA concluded in 2024; the leaders were slated to sign the agreement in June at the G7 leaders’ summit in Alberta. Prabowo, invited to the summit by Carney, opted instead to speak at an economic forum in Russia.
Canadian investment in Indonesia totalled C$5.1 billion in 2024, while two-way merchandise trade reached C$5.5 billion the same year. (For comparison, Canada’s trade with Vietnam, a much smaller economy, hit C$14.1 billion in 2023. Both Canada and Vietnam are parties to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.) Carney and Prabowo also signed a memorandum of understanding on defence co-operation.
Carney met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang on the margins of the UNGA, discussing trade, tariffs, agriculture, and electric vehicles, among other issues. Carney called the meeting “very constructive” and expects to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping “at the appropriate time.”
During a think-tank event on Monday, Carney said that China is “very sincere and engaged on climate,” perhaps foreshadowing future bilateral collaboration. Later, Carney suggested that Ottawa was part of an ongoing discussion about “bridging” the CPTPP and the European Union. The form and feasibility of that potential partnership, however, remain unclear.
Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand will deliver Canada’s national statement to the UNGA on September 29, which, according to Global Affairs Canada, “will set out Canada’s foreign policy priorities.”
Asian leaders at UNGA
Other Indo-Pacific leaders were active in New York City, including South Korean President Lee Jae Myung. Lee said in his speech to UN members that South Korea “will not hesitate to take on the role of a leading nation,” including on the issue of artificial intelligence, and pledged to “restore broken inter-Korean trust and shift to a stance of mutual respect.”
A statement by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Monday noted that he “holds fond memories” of U.S. President Donald Trump, adding that he would meet with Trump if “[Trump] drops the absurd obsession with denuclearizing us and accepts reality.” Trump and Kim met three times from 2017–20.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was also in New York. Albanese chatted briefly with Trump in a long-awaited, first face-to-face meeting; the White House pushed a formal meeting to October, when Albanese will travel to Washington, D.C. Trump criticized a recent decision by Canada, Australia, and the U.K. to recognize the state of Palestine.
