Event Archive

More info coming soon. Contact A.W. Lee, Director of Inclusive International Trade, APF Canada, for inquiries at a.w.lee@asiapacific.ca 

China has entered a period of structural adjustment marked by tighter political control, uneven economic recovery, and a more contested external environment. Domestic governance priorities—regime security, self-reliance, and social stability—have become increasingly intertwined with intensifying U.S.–China strategic competition, particularly under a second Trump administration. Renewed trade and technology restrictions have reinforced Beijing’s security-first orientation, with implications that extend well beyond China’s borders.

For Southeast Asia, these shifts translate into heightened economic disruption, strategic uncertainty, and growing pressure to navigate competing demands from major powers. Understanding how China’s internal dynamics shape its regional behaviour is therefore critical to assessing future risks and policy options.

This closed-door Strategic Dialogue (Track 2) event convenes China specialists from Singapore-based research institutions, alongside visiting Canadian officials, analysts, and private-sector participants, to assess these developments and their regional implications. 

Critical minerals are foundational to advanced manufacturing, clean energy transitions, and defence and dual-use technologies. Canada and the Indo-Pacific region possess significant resource endowments and technological capabilities across the critical mineral supply value chain – from exploration and extraction to processing, manufacturing, and recycling. 

At the same time, critical mineral supply chains are increasingly exposed to geopolitical coercion, market concentration, foreign interference, cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property, ESG risks, and infrastructure vulnerabilities. 

Against this backdrop, this Strategic Roundtable, co-organized by APF Canada and the Canadian Intelligence Service (CSIS), will convene Canadian and regional government officials, security practitioners, and leading experts to explore how like-minded partners can align threat perceptions, share best practices, and identify practical avenues for co-operation on critical minerals and economic security in the Indo-Pacific. 

Please note: this is an invitation-only, closed-door session under Chatham House Rule.

APF Canada's Canada-in-Asia Conference 2026 (CIAC2026) is the premier platform for connecting leaders from across Canada and Asia to tackle some of the most pressing challenges – and promising opportunities – of our time.

Taking place at the intersection of business, government, research, and innovation, this unique gathering brings together stakeholders to drive collaboration, unlock partnerships, and shape the future of Canada-Asia engagement to address real-world issues. ​

 Join us for this flagship event on February 10-11, 2026, in Singapore where we will connect leaders from across Canada and Asia around the central pillars of food security, energy security, and infrastructure.

These pillars are critical for the global push towards sustainable growth and represent key areas in which Canadian and Asian companies, institutions, and universities can share experiences, expertise, and insights to build successful, multi-dimensional partnerships.

In conjunction with these pillars, CIAC2026 will address issues within the cross-cutting themes of geopolitics, investment, and technology.  

The Asia Business Leaders Advisory Council (ABLAC) is a high-level group of Asian and Canadian business leaders established by the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada in 2016. 

ABLAC will meet February 9, 2026, in Singapore.

Convened annually to identify and articulate opportunities for improved Canada-Asia business engagement, the Council acts as a powerful platform for networking and business development to help catalyze stronger commercial and investment opportunities between Canada and Asia. ABLAC also aims to provide strategic information, counsel, and advice to Canadian stakeholders including representatives from the federal and provincial governments to strengthen Canada's strategic engagement with the Indo-Pacific.

This is a ‘by-invitation-only’ event.

APF Canada is hosting the Connecting Policy, Business & People: Digital Finance and Market Readiness for Inclusive MSMEs workshop aimed at policy actors and business leaders in the APEC region. Held alongside the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) I meeting, this workshop will feature a fireside chat between H.E. Maman Abdurrahman, Minister of MSMEs in Indonesia and ABAC member Mr. Anindya N. Bakrie.

Representatives from various ministries, the Embassy of Canada, APF Canada, and ABAC members will participate in panel and roundtable discussions on digital finance and regional value chains. The event will serve as a strategic platform to engage public- and private-sector leaders in advancing gender-responsive and inclusive MSME policymaking.

The panel discussion, moderated by Vina Nadjibulla, Vice-President Research & Strategy at APF Canada, will examine how APEC economies can bridge the gap between a strong regulatory framework and the lived realities of women-led MSMEs by leveraging data governance, digital payments, and gender-responsive financing models.

The roundtable discussion, moderated by Jan De Silva, ABAC Canada Member, will focus on how APEC economies can address digital readiness, capability gaps, and regulatory complexity to strengthen women-led MSME participation in domestic and regional supply chains.

The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada will be hosting a closed-door roundtable, held under the Chatham House Rule, on February 5, 2026, on the margins of the Singapore Airshow.

The Future of Defence (Industrial) Co-operation: Singapore and Canada roundtable will explore how Singapore and Canada can deepen defence industrial collaboration across dual-use technologies, innovation platforms, and more resilient supply chains.

The discussion will highlight the benefits of two-way market access: Canada as a reliable partner and springboard into the North American market and NATO, and Singapore as a stable hub for Canadian firms in Southeast Asia. This curated group of participants will also probe opportunities for collaboration around shared platforms, systems, and interoperability in areas including decision dominance, sovereign compute, maritime domain awareness, undersea autonomy, and training and simulation, among others. The roundtable will aim to build on the already strong bilateral relationship and the foundation provided by the 2022 Memorandum of Understanding on defence co-operation.

This high-level session will bring together senior representatives from Canadian industry, key government stakeholders, and Singapore-based defence and technology leaders to exchange perspectives on advancing bilateral engagement. Your insights would be especially valued as Singapore and Canada explore new opportunities to develop resilient, interoperable, and forward-looking partnerships. 

The discussion is intended to foster candid, solution-oriented dialogue on strategic co-operation models, innovation ecosystems, and practical pathways for strengthening engagement between like-minded partners.

In a global context marked by growing geopolitical tensions, major economic transitions, and climate emergencies, Quebec must constantly adapt its posture and strategies internationally. But how are these challenges perceived and managed across different sectors? What levers of action are being mobilized, and how can Quebec strengthen its voice on the world stage? This conference offers an immersion into the inner workings of Quebec’s international action, through the intersecting perspectives of three experts from the governmental, financial, and community sectors.

Marie Haroon (CDPQ), Frédéric Czor (MRIF), and Marie Denise Samson Léger (CECI) will share their experiences and analyses on Quebec’s international strategies, the geopolitical risks shaping their mandates, and the integration of social and climate issues into their respective responsibilities. You will discover how these organizations navigate an uncertain world while helping position Quebec as a committed, strategic, and united actor on the international stage. 

We look forward to seeing you there!

Arctic security is at an inflection point. Intensifying great-power competition, rapid technological change, and accelerating environmental shifts are converging in ways that elevate risks to Canada’s sovereignty, infrastructure, and alliances. While Canada’s strategic lens has often focused on the European Arctic, the North Pacific dimension—particularly with Japan and South Korea—remains under-explored and increasingly consequential.

Against this backdrop—and consistent with Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy (2022) and Arctic Foreign Policy (2024)—APF Canada will convene Canadian, U.S., Japanese, and South Korean experts and officials to map shared risks and identify practical avenues for allied interoperability, technology collaboration, and infrastructure protection in the Arctic. 

This workshop is organized with funding from the Department of National Defence and features a 1.5 day closed-door roundtable followed by a public panel on January 20 translating key insights for broader audiences.

Agenda

Day One: Canada-North Pacific Arctic Workshop: 9 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. PT (invite-only)

Day Two: Navigating Emerging Geopolitical Dynamics in the Canadian Arctic and North Pacific Public Event: 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. PT (light lunch to follow) 

Please note: Registration for the Public Event is now open (registration link above). For those who can't attend, please bookmark our livestream here. 

On behalf of the Japan International Cooperation Center (JICE), we are pleased to invite you to 'A Feast for the Senses: The Beauty of Shodō and Bento,' a Kakehashi Alumni Network online event. 

Experts will present and provide live demonstrations on how to create beautiful bento box fillings and the elegant art of shodō calligraphy. Participants who prepare suggested materials will be able to do so in real time.

This event is open to all Kakehashi Project alumni.

For more information on Kakehashi, please visit our webpage.

APF Canada's Asia Regional Office in Singapore will host a Foreign Correspondents Association Singapore event with Simon J. Evenett, Professor of Geopolitics and Strategy at the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Lausanne, Switzerland.

As we approach the first anniversary of President Trump’s second term in office, this session provides a valuable opportunity to hear from a globally recognized expert on the geopolitical dynamics set to shape trade and investment for the year ahead.

Date: Tuesday 6th January 2026.

Time:  Registration from 17:00, discussion 17:30-18:30.

About the Speaker

Simon J. Evenett is Professor of Geopolitics and Strategy at IMD. A globally recognized expert on trade, investment, and geopolitical dynamics, he is a leading analyst of the global business environment.

Prof. Evenett is the author and co-author of over 250 publications and contributes thought leadership to diverse audiences through blogs and newspaper columns. Frequently cited in global media, he has published extensively in leading academic journals.

The Momentum Jakarta session will spotlight Canada-Indonesia collaboration in the agri-food sector, focusing on food security, innovation, and agriculture. As one of Asia's fastest-growing economies, Indonesia plays a vital role in regional food systems. This engagement will showcase Canadian expertise, highlight bilateral success stories, and build momentum toward CIAC2026 in Singapore.

Speakers: 

Jointly organized by the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada and the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Vancouver, this roundtable will bring together senior officials, academic experts, and industry voices from Canada and South Korea to examine the growing security and defence ties between the two countries. 

The confirmed speakers include Director General Ravi S.K. Singh of Defence Industrial Strategy and Director General Tae Kon Kim and Captain Suoek Lee of Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration, Professor Alex Lin from the University of British Columbia, as well as Kelvin Hung from IMP Aerospace & Defence. The discussion will be moderated by APF Canada’s Vice-President, Research and Strategy, Vina Nadjibulla.

Organized by the Canada Korea Business Council (CKBC), this event will explore Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy and its implications for Canadian businesses.

Vina Nadjibulla, Vice President of Research and Strategy at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, will join as a featured speaker.

Co-hosted by Global Affairs Canada, the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, the Embassy of the United States of America, and the Embassy of Japan, this symposium explores the theme of Navigating Geopolitics in the Korean Peninsula and Indo-Pacific Region Towards Denuclearization and Regional Stability.

APF Canada's Vice-President, Research and Strategy, Vina Nadjibulla, will speak on a panel titled Challenges and Opportunities for Regional Stability in the Indo-Pacific.

Download the Program

As the Indo-Pacific undergoes rapid geopolitical and economic transformation, Canada and Japan are emerging as increasingly aligned partners seeking stability and strategic balance in the region. This webinar features Professor Akio Takahara, one of Japan’s most respected scholars of Chinese politics and regional strategy, for an in-depth discussion on the future of Canada–Japan co-operation. Currently an Honorary Senior Fellow on Chinese Politics at the Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis, Professor Takahara is the Emeritus Professor at the University of Tokyo and the Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Tokyo Woman’s Christian University.                

In this session, Professor Takahara will explore how both countries navigate China’s evolving domestic and foreign policy under Trump 2.0 and assess the opportunities for Ottawa and Tokyo to deepen co-operation on a variety of matters. Please join us for a timely conversation on the future of Canada–Japan relations amid shifting regional dynamics.                

This webinar will be moderated by APF Canada’s Vice-President of Research & Strategy Vina Nadjibulla, with opening remarks from Minister Hideaki Ishii of the Embassy of Japan in Canada, and Professor Stephanie Carvin of Carleton University.

View the Presentation

Watch the Recording

Opening Remarks:

Mr. Hideaki Ishii, Minister and Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Japan in Canada.

Speaker Introductions: 

Dr. Stephanie Carvin, Associate Professor of International Relations at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University.

Speaker:

Dr. Akio Takahara, Honorary Senior Fellow on Chinese Politics at the Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis, Distinguished Visiting Professor at Tokyo Woman’s Christian University and Emeritus Professor at the University of Tokyo.

Moderator: 

Ms. Vina Nadjibulla, Vice-President of Research and Strategy, Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada.

This invitation-only roundtable with High Commissioner of India to Canada Mr. Dinesh Patnaik, convened under Chatham House Rule, will touch on opportunities and challenges in the diplomatic re-set in the Canada-India relationship.

It will include a focus on the joint statement agreed to during Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand’s recent trip to New Delhi and next steps in the economic and commercial relationship following Canadian International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu’s recent visit to India.

This discussion will be moderated by Vina Nadjibulla, Vice-President, Research and Strategy at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada.

Co-organized by the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada and the Council for Strategic and Defense Research, this event will feature keynote addresses and a panel discussion on Building Economic Resilience Through Technology and Innovation: India–Canada Pathways Forward. 

Following the October 2025 Canada-India joint statement, the two countries have charted an ambitious roadmap that integrates trade diversification, investment, energy co-operation, and technology partnerships. This momentum can be harnessed to support joint innovations in artificial intelligence, clean technologies, advanced manufacturing, aerospace, and sustainable infrastructure.

Amid global disruptions such as supply chain vulnerabilities, geopolitical tensions, and climate challenges, this event will explore how both nations can leverage their complementary strengths and collaborative frameworks to accelerate innovation, strengthen economic ties, and foster inclusive growth.