Event Archive

The International Economics and Security Division (IESD) of the Australian Commonwealth Treasury is organizing an IESD Seminar Series session in conjunction with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to Australia.

APF Canada’s Vice-President, Research & Strategy, Vina Nadjibulla, will join the seminar to provide a Canadian perspective on the Prime Minister’s visit. 

Speakers:

Professor Mark Beeson, Adjunct Professor at the Australia-China Relations Institute, The University of Technology Sydney

Professor Evelyn Goh, Shedden Professor of Strategic Policy Studies, The Australian National University

Vina Nadjibulla, Vice-President, Research & Strategy, Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada
 

Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada’s Vice-President Research & Strategy, Vina Nadjibulla, will speak at the Spring 2026 Lecture Series hosted by the Taipei School of Economics and Political Science. Her talk will examine Prime Minister Mark Carney’s approach to Middle Power diplomacy and Canada’s evolving Indo-Pacific strategy.

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APF Canada is co-hosting this high-level strategic dialogue with the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei (CTOT), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China (MOFA), National Taiwan University (NTU), and the University of Ottawa.  

The Track 1.5 Dialogue, on March 18, 2026, will bring together a curated group of policymakers, industry leaders, and experts for a candid, forward-looking discussion on strengthening economic security co-operation between Canada and Taiwan. 

This Strategic Dialogue will focus on four core themes: Supply chain resilience, including semiconductors and trusted digital infrastructure; critical minerals–to–manufacturing linkages, and opportunities for joint value-chain development; industrial co-operation, particularly in emerging and dual-use technologies; and collective responses to economic coercion and support mechanisms for industry.

The objective of this dialogue is to identify near-term, actionable opportunities to deepen co-operation, align policy approaches, and mobilize industry, academic, and government partners toward shared economic security priorities.  

Download the Background Note.

APF Canada is co-organizing this high-level Track 2 event with the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei (CTOT), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, R.O.C. (MOFA), the Center for China Studies at the National Taiwan University (NTU), and the University of Ottawa.

The event will bring together a curated group of experts for a candid, forward-looking discussion on strengthening security co-operation in the region, with the aim of generating actionable, policy-relevant recommendations and publications.

Download the Program.

APF Canada is co-hosting this high-level Strategic Dialogue with the Embassy of Canada to the Philippines and Stratbase. The dialogue will bring together a curated group of policymakers, industry leaders, and experts for a candid, forward-looking discussion on strengthening economic security co-operation between Canada and the Philippines. 

This Track 1.5 Dialogue will focus on three core themes: digital resilience, particularly in AI and trusted digital governance; critical minerals and clean-tech innovation; and defence industrial co-operation, particularly in emerging and dual-use technologies

The objective of the strategic dialogue is to identify near-term, actionable opportunities to deepen co-operation, align policy approaches, and mobilize industry, academic, and government partners toward shared economic security priorities. 

Co-organized by the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada and the Council for Strategic and Defense Research, this roundtable will discuss the trajectory of India-Canada relations following Prime Minister Mark Carney's February-March 2026 visit to India and the broader diplomatic reset between the two countries. 

It will examine prospects for progress in CEPA negotiations, co-operation in energy and critical minerals, expanding talent linkages, and growing security collaboration, and access how a renewed partnership can advance supply chain resilience, energy security, and a free and open Indo-Pacific.

APF Canada is co-hosting this high-level dialogue with the Council for Strategic and Defense Research (CSDR) and the Canadian High Commission in Delhi. 

The event will bring together a curated group of policymakers, industry leaders, experts and thought leaders from both countries to assess the potential for defence co-operation and to deepen bilateral collaboration and security relations. 

The third annual conference of CÉRIUM’s Chair in Asian and Indo‑Pacific Studies, Strengthening our Ties with the Indo-Pacific: What are the Outcomes of Diversification Strategies?, features a panel on Diversification and Economic Security moderated by Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada's John H. McArthur Fellow Ari Van Assche, followed by insights from Alexandre Veilleux, APF Canada’s Senior Program Manager, on Quebec’s Indo‑Pacific Strategy and its evolving relationship with South Korea. 

The program also includes a conversation with Laura‑Julie Perreault, international affairs columnist at La Presse and 2025–2026 APF Canada's Media Fellow, drawing on her recent fieldwork in Japan and South Korea.

The Centre for the Study of Global Japan at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy is organizing a talk and performance by Satoshi Yamaguchi, drummer of  popular Japanese band, RADWIMPS. 

Satoshi Yamaguchi, a Visiting Researcher at Keio University, will deliver an inspiring presentation about his personal struggle and research on Musicians’ Dystonia, a neurological disorder that affects professional musicians. He will share his personal story and reflections about his musical career, which he was forced to suspend in 2015. 

He will then discuss how he refocused his energy on academic research, presenting findings from large-scale epidemiological studies on Musicians' Dystonia he conducted in collaboration with scholars from Canada, Japan, and other countries. 

The event will feature a live performance by Yamaguchi using “VXD,” a voice-controlled drumming system he co-developed. 

(Image Credit: 株式会社スペシャネット, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons) 

As great as they are to visit, there is a lot more to Japan than Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. Kakehashi Project alumni are invited to join us for a journey through some of Japan’s lesser-visited cultural hotspots, hidden gems, and natural wonders as selected by Japanese and Canadian Kakehashi alumni. 

Find new places to add to your next Japan travel itinerary and get tips from alumni experts on how to make your visit a great one. This event is open to all Kakehashi Project alumni.

For more information on Kakehashi, please visit our webpage.

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.