Event Archive

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's speech in Davos earlier this year has stimulated a global debate on what the "middle power moment" is, is not, and must aspire to be. This talk presents a Southeast Asian perspective on who the middle powers are; how the middle power moment is unfolding across Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific amid the global polycrisis; and why Canada and ASEAN member states must work more closely together toward a converged middle-powership to cultivate mutually beneficial partnerships across sectors. 

Dr. Cheng-Chwee Kuik, an APF Canada Indo-Pacific Visiting Scholar, argues that although Canada and the ASEAN states will be neither principal allies nor sufficient partners to one another, a survival-driven middle-powership remains not only desirable but imperative. 

Dr. Cheng-Chwee Kuik is a Professor of International Relations at the Institute of Malaysian and International Studies, and his presentation will be based on his new book, Theorizing Hedging: Explaining Shifts and Variations in Alignment Choices (Cambridge University Press, 2026). 

With the increase in Canadian and foreign investment and an expanded military presence, the Canadian Arctic is likely to become a bigger target of hybrid threats, such as cyber attacks and attacks on critical infrastructure, as well as foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI).

This two-day workshop, co-organized by the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada (APF Canada), the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Canada (KAS Canada), and Pendulum Geopolitical Advisory, will explore models for how northern and Indigenous communities might build greater civilian resilience against these threats, drawing examples and lessons learned from Europe and the Indo-Pacific.

Join us at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy for a talk with APF Canada's Indo-Pacific Visiting Scholar Dr. Cheng-Chwee Kuik, Professor of International Relations at the Institute of Malaysian and International Studies, on his new book, Theorizing Hedging: Explaining Shifts and Variations in Alignment Choices (Cambridge University Press, 2026).

Professor Kuik argues that hedging — not balancing or bandwagoning — is the modal behaviour of non-great powers navigating high-stakes uncertainty, and offers one of the first theoretical accounts of strategic hedging in world politics. He will explain not only why smaller states hedge, but also why their alignment decisions shift and vary over time.

Professor Kuik will then apply his framework to the current strategic environment, examining how Southeast Asian states are calibrating their relationships with China and the United States, as well as with other middle powers, including Canada.
 

Agenda

A Special Lecture for MANA Mo 2026
Guest Speaker:  Prof Jay L. Batongbacal

Has your Kakehashi experience inspired you to want to return to Japan? Join us for a special online forum with presentations by the Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO), to learn about options for studying in Japan, Japanese higher education, and scholarship opportunities that can help make your dream a reality. 

This English-language event is open to all Canadian & U.S. Kakehashi alumni.

Asian investors are being approached by multiple Canadian stakeholders in parallel. As Canada cannot afford to approach Asian capital with fragmented or inconsistent messaging at this pivotal moment, APF Canada is hosting this event on the margins of Canada’s Investment Summit to convene a variety of key Canadian players to exchange views on how best to take the momentum of the Summit forward in a specifically Asian context. The goal is to come out of this milestone week with a shared understanding of key messages and what each player can do to contribute to achieving tangible investment results for Canada from Asia.

APF Canada's Vice-President, Central Canada Office, Christine Nakamura, is a panellist at this event. 

The rapid growth of satellite mega-constellations – from SpaceX's Starlink and Amazon's Leo to emerging Chinese operators Qianfan and Guowang – is transforming the space environment in ways that may pose risks to orbital safety, the atmosphere, and the night sky. Yet Western and Chinese experts have had little opportunity for dialogue on how to manage these shared challenges.

The second in a series of ​Outer Space workshops co-organized by APF Canada and the Outer Space Institute, this two-day, closed-door event will bring together approximately 20 experts in space law and policy from Canada, China, and the broader Indo-Pacific region. 

Participants will explore opportunities for information exchange, best-practices sharing, and confidence building between Canadian and Asian constellation regulators and operators – with a view to fostering safer and more sustainable use of low Earth orbit.

The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, in partnership with the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Viet Nam, and the Embassy of Canada to Viet Nam, will convene a Canada-Viet Nam Forum on Economic Resilience and CPTPP-EU Linkages in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam, on July 20, 2026. 

The Forum will bring together senior policymakers, business leaders, academics, and trade experts from across the Indo-Pacific and Europe to explore the future of economic security, resilient supply chains, and rules-based trade. 

Held on the margins of Viet Nam's 2026 CPTPP Chairmanship and the Third APEC Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM3), the Forum will provide a platform for candid, forward-looking dialogue on strengthening co-operation between the CPTPP membership and the European Union.

Key Discussion Areas: 

1. Economic Security & Resilient Trade

2. The Future of CPTPP–EU Co-operation

3. Unlocking New Trade & Investment Opportunities

4. Shaping the Next Generation of Trade Policy

Learning from senior policymakers, business leaders, and leading experts as they exchange practical ideas on digital trade, regulatory co-operation, and the evolving global trade agenda.

Let’s shape the next chapter of strengthening partnerships and unlocking opportunities. We look forward to welcoming you.

Organizing Partners: Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada; Ministry of Industry and Trade of Viet Nam; Embassy of Canada to Viet Nam

Supporting Partner: CanCham Viet Nam

Communications Partners: AusCham; BritCham; Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam; SingCham

Since 2022, UCalgary International (UCI) has hosted an annual breakfast for the Calgary Consular Corps (CCC) as an invite-only event on the fringes of the UCalgary President’s Stampede BBQ. 

This year’s discussion features the growing importance of the Asia Pacific region to Canada’s international engagement and to UCalgary’s global priorities. As universities play an increasingly central role in advancing academic diplomacy, this topic offers a timely opportunity to consider how post-secondary institutions can contribute meaningfully to Canada’s evolving partnerships across the region.

APF Canada's Vice-President Research & Strategy Vina Nadjibulla, will deliver a keynote address on Canada and the Asia-Pacific: Strategic Partnerships in a Changing Geopolitical Landscape at the breakfast event, as well as a special talk on Navigating the Indo-Pacific: Power, Partnership, and Canada’s Strategic Role to the university leadership and business communities. 

The international community today faces an unprecedented convergence of challenges—deepening geopolitical conflicts, economic and technological fragmentation, exclusive nationalism, and the erosion of multilateralism. Strategic competition between the United States and China now spans all domains, while recurrent wars and crises expose the limits of international norms and collective security. Protectionism, the reordering of global supply chains, and the securitization of energy and food further erode the foundations of co-operation. As the international order reaches a structural turning point, the world must seek new approaches to partnership and governance. This requires both a sober assessment of institutional limits and concrete efforts to foster inclusive and practical collaboration. Only through such innovation can the global community restore trust and renew multilateral co-operation in a fragmented world.

In this defining moment, the 21st Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity builds on its enduring mission to bring together voices across sectors, generations, and regions to foster meaningful dialogue and collective action. The Forum will explore new pathways to sustain peace, advance shared prosperity, and mobilize global efforts toward a more sustainable future.

This year’s key objective is to examine how breakthroughs in artificial intelligence and the energy transition are reshaping economies and societies, while underscoring the importance of both global governance and local leadership in ensuring that collaborative progress remains ethical, inclusive, and resilient.

Under the theme Reinventing Cooperation in a Fragmented World, the Forum will explore five core agendas:

1. Co-operation for Peace and Prosperity amid Geopolitical Uncertainties: Navigating geostrategic dynamics to foster collaborative action.
2. Prosperity through Economic, Educational, Climate, and Energy Transitions: Building a common future through transformative change.
3. Global Governance and Cooperation in the Age of AI and Digital Innovation: Shaping ethical and sustainable technological norms.
4. International Action for a Sustainable Future: Mobilizing collective commitments to long-term environmental and social resilience.
5. The Role of Local Governments in the Glocal Era: Empowering sub-national actors in an interconnected world shaped by both global and local dynamics.
    

As ASEAN countries accelerate efforts to strengthen energy security, modernize infrastructure, and transition to more efficient energy systems, the need to identify practical partnerships to bolster regional resilience is more urgent than ever. 

While Southeast Asia has announced ambitious energy transition and climate goals, many projects continue to face obstacles moving from planning to implementation due to financing gaps, regulatory uncertainty, infrastructure limitations, and investment risks. 

Against this backdrop, the ASEAN–Canada Strategic Dialogue will bring together policymakers, industry leaders, financial institutions, researchers, and development partners to explore how regional governments, international financial institutions, and partners like Canada can work together to strengthen international co-operation, diversify partnerships, and build resilient energy systems capable of withstanding external shocks and safeguarding energy security.

Featuring an interactive panel discussion and an intimate fireside chat, the Dialogue will examine the structural and policy challenges that continue to complicate the energy transition in Southeast Asia, including regulatory conditions, investor confidence, risk-sharing mechanisms, and infrastructure readiness. Discussions will also explore how public and private financing can work more effectively together to support long-term energy transition goals, and what lessons can be drawn from successful partnerships and projects already underway in ASEAN and Canada. 

Co-organized by the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Indonesia, and co-hosted by the Mission of Canada to ASEAN and the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Indonesia to ASEAN, the event aims to foster candid and forward-looking exchanges while strengthening practical co-operation on energy security and regional resilience.

Canada's relationship with the People's Republic of China (PRC) is entering a new chapter — and the opportunities are significant. Renewed diplomatic ties, reduced tariffs on key exports, and fresh interest from major Chinese investors signal real momentum. But seizing those opportunities requires more than optimism. It requires understanding how Beijing operates and guardrails to protect Canadian values, as well as economic and national security interests.

The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada is launching PRC Power Abroad and the Guardrails We Need — a new webinar series unpacking the PRC's evolving foreign policy toolkit. Each session brings leading global experts to offer practical insights for Canadian businesses, policymakers, and advocates looking to engage China strategically — and on Canada's terms.

Visit the Webinar Series Main Page

Session 4: China's Toolkit and the Rules-Based International Order 

The PRC's relationship with the international order is more complex than either accommodation or confrontation. This session examines how the PRC engages with international institutions and norms — selectively invoking, contesting, and reshaping them in ways that reflect a distinctive approach to globalized populism as foreign policy. In this session, Potter will draw on his forthcoming book China and the Rules-Based International Order to map where the existing order is under strain, where it retains traction, and what the implications are for middle powers like Canada — exploring how principled pragmatism can help Canadian policy navigate foreign interference, asymmetric trade pressure, and human rights concerns while maintaining constructive engagement. 

The Center for Policy Strategy on the Americas and Europe Region, Foreign Policy Strategy Agency (FPSA), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, will host a Foreign Policy Dialogue (FPD) on “Strengthening the Role of Diplomacy in Optimizing the Indonesia–Canada Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (ICA-CEPA) in Critical Minerals and Clean Technology.”

The Dialogue will bring together experts from government and civil society to discuss key issues, including the role of diplomacy in supporting the implementation and effective utilization of the ICA-CEPA in the areas of critical minerals, clean technology, and renewable energy, as well as the opportunities and challenges associated with these sectors.

This engagement will also serve as a follow-up to the Policy Analysis Dialogue held in Ottawa and Montreal in April 2026 and support the implementation of the APFC–FPSA Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed in November 2025.

Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada Vice-President, Research and Strategy, Vina Nadjibulla, will participate in the Dialogue as a speaker.

Creative industries contribute approximately 2.7% of Canada’s GDP, underscoring their economic and strategic importance. Through the Creative Export Canada program, $33 million has been invested to support the internationalization of Canadian creative content, with Asia emerging as a key hub for export diversification. As Canadian companies increasingly look to expand across emerging Southeast Asian economies, Indonesia stands out, driven by recent free trade agreements, a rapidly growing digital economy, and a rising middle class with growing demand for cultural and creative content. Together, these dynamics position Indonesia as a promising, yet still underexplored market for Canadian and Quebec creative firms.

Canada's relationship with the People's Republic of China (PRC) is entering a new chapter — and the opportunities are significant. Renewed diplomatic ties, reduced tariffs on key exports, and fresh interest from major Chinese investors signal real momentum. But seizing those opportunities requires more than optimism. It requires understanding how Beijing operates and guardrails to protect Canadian values, as well as economic and national security interests.

The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada is launching PRC Power Abroad and the Guardrails We Need — a new webinar series unpacking the PRC's evolving foreign policy toolkit. Each session brings leading global experts to offer practical insights for Canadian businesses, policymakers, and advocates looking to engage China strategically — and on Canada's terms.

Visit the Webinar Series Main Page

Session 3: PRC’s Strategy of Lawfare and Lessons from Hong Kong

Hong Kong's common law system was once treated as an institutional firewall. This session traces how it was dismantled — from the 1997 sovereignty transfer through the 2019 Anti-Extradition Bill protests and their aftermath. Dr. Eric Lai, Senior Fellow at Georgetown Center for Asian Law, and author of Legal Resistance under Authoritarianism, will examine how a critical minority of legal professionals resisted state encroachment, the limits of that resistance, and what Hong Kong's experience reveals about the vulnerability of legal institutions to sustained political pressure from above.

Organized by the Women Heads of Diplomatic Missions in Ottawa (WHDMO) and Gowling WLG, this forum on June 10 will celebrate the International Day for Women in Diplomacy. Representing all 32 women Ambassadors in Ottawa, WHDMO serves as a collective voice advancing collaboration and elevating the role of women in diplomacy.

Aligned with this year’s theme, “Leadership Equality, Advancement and the pursuit of Peace,” the event will explore the broader impact of women’s leadership in diplomacy—highlighting their role in advancing equality, shaping global conversations, and promoting peace. 

Through engaging discussion and shared perspectives, the forum will reflect the growing influence of women leaders across international, economic, and social spheres. We look forward to convening leaders for an inspiring morning dedicated to recognizing and advancing women’s leadership in diplomacy.

APF Canada's Vice-President Research & Strategy Vina Nadjibulla will be moderating a discussion on the economic sphere.

Organized by the Vietnam Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Vietnam–Canada Business Forum 2026 will follow the Third Vietnam–Canada Joint Economic Committee (JEC 3), held biennially. Building on the outcomes of JEC 3, the Forum serves as the principal platform for translating high‑level policy dialogue into concrete business cooperation and sector‑specific opportunities. 

On this occasion, Vietnam is leading a business delegation of approximately 20 companies representing key sectors such as energy, minerals, infrastructure and construction, food processing, and industrial–technological manufacturing. 

Speakers will outline actionable opportunities for Canadian companies to expand into one of Asia’s fastest‑growing and most strategically positioned markets. 

Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada's Vice-President, Research and Strategy, Vina Nadjibulla, will speak on "Canada's Indo-Pacific engagement and economic partnership priorities with Vietnam" as well as moderate a panel focused on the resilient and high quality partnership.