Event Archive

The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada and INDIGI-X are pleased to invite the public to attend the Final Presentations of the second cohort of Indigenous Professionals in Canada, Fiji, and New Zealand. 

24 Indigenous professionals from three different countries are presenting their findings and recommendations at the end of a six-week virtual exchange. Both The Hon. Carolyn Bennett of Canada and The Hon. Nanaia Mahuta of New Zealand will attend the presentations, alongside a number of other community, government, and industry delegates. 

INDIGI-X is a platform for Indigenous professionals around the world to work together, identify business opportunities, and engage in international trade. Learn more about the program at www.INDIGI-X.com. 

The ABAC Digital Symposium 2021 is a three-day virtual symposium hosted by the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) Canada Secretariat and sponsored by Global Affairs Canada. The goal of the symposium is to take stock of innovative solutions that could enable member economies to re-open more fully in the midst of the global COVID pandemic, and to explore the enabling conditions needed to deploy them at scale across APEC. 

We will share best practices and case studies and discuss the government policies needed to harmonize and implement these innovations at scale in all APEC economies. More importantly, the symposium will act as a catalyst for piloting and procuring solutions across interested APEC economies.

For more information, please click here for the full agenda. 

On March 1-2, 2021, the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada presented the First Canadian Women-only Virtual Business Mission to Taiwan. Ths virtual/in-person hybrid event showcased Canadian women entrepreneurs through pitch sessions, as well as feature high-level speakers on technology, innovation, and gender equality in Canada and Taiwan 

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Click here for more information and to view Taiwan Mission webinars

The Munk School will host a panel discussion on Japan and Asia in the Pandemic Era. APF Canada's Vice-President, Research, Dr. Jeffrey Reeves, is a guest on this panel. 

In November, 2020, 15 countries comprising all of ASEAN plus Japan, China, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand decided to meet the economic challenge of the pandemic by signing the world’s largest regional trade agreement.

What does the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) mean for Canada, for the new Biden administration, and for leadership in Asia? The Centre for the Study of Global Japan is partnering with the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada and the University of B.C.'s Centre for Japan Research to talk with international experts on the implications of RCEP.

The Institute for Peace and Diplomacy will host a panel to discuss U.S. policy on China under the Biden administration. APF Canada's Vice-President, Research, Dr. Jeffrey Reeves, is a guest on this panel.

President Biden’s plan to pursue American re-engagement with the international community was solidified with the U.S. rejoining the Paris Climate Accord and the World Health Organization (WHO). However, it is not clear how he will change U.S. policy on China.

During his campaign, Biden equally highlighted the need to both engage and distance the United States from China. Some experts believe that the ability of the U.S. to collaborate with the world’s second largest economy will be a defining factor under Biden’s presidency and for America’s future. Others believe that the intensifying U.S.-China rivalry is based on structural shifts in the balance of power. They expect the Biden administration to continue Trump’s containment policy against China at least in some areas.

2020 was a most unusual year. Not only are there ongoing challenges emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic, but the world is also confronting the impacts of a global trade war, negative oil prices, and new regional trade agreements (i.e. RCEP), among other economic issues. Supply chains—and the related topics of security and supply of medical goods, energy, and food—is at the centre of many nations’ agenda, especially for open countries like Singapore and Canada.

The clear winner in this new landscape is the acceleration of digital trade.

As Co-chair of the Supply Chain Digitalization Taskforce for Singapore’s Prime Minister's Office, Chin Hwee Tan will join Kenny Lam, CEO of Two Sigma Asia Pacific and Stewart Beck, President and CEO of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, in conversation on the challenges facing like-minded ecosystems to maintain open global commerce architecture and the advantages offered by the increasing digitalization of supply chain networks. All three panelists are members of APF Canada’s Asia Business Leaders Advisory Council, which aims to strategize opportunities for improved business engagement between Canada and the Asia Pacific.

His Excellency, Ambassador Cong Peiwu, will join APF Canada’s President and CEO, Stewart Beck in a moderated conversation about the state of global affairs, Canada-China relations, the role China can play in the economic and development challenges of a post-pandemic world, and what it means for Canada.

This Toronto Asia Pacific Youth Council (TAPYC) webinar will feature a focused discussion on how recent graduates and young professionals can navigate the current job market, develop their careers, and continue to advance professionally, despite COVID-19 limitations and restrictions. The panel will feature experts at a range of career stages who will share job-seeking strategies and career advice they received throughout their professional journeys. They will also share their thoughts on what this year’s cohort of recent graduates and young professionals can do to continue their professional advancement under current conditions.

This webinar will build on the TAPYC’s successful two-episode podcast series, ‘Have Your Say,’ which launched in early November 2020 and focuses on issues affecting international students who were overseas when the pandemic began. This event will also be an opportunity for participants to learn more about TAPYC and its Call for Applications to join the council’s 2021 cohort, which will be open until January 8, 2021.

TAPYC, an initiative of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, is a volunteer group of students and young professionals (under 35) dedicated to engaging Canadian youth to learn more about the opportunities and advantages of the Asia Pacific region.

The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada invites you to the launch of our 2020 National Opinion Poll: Canadian Views on Asia survey results on November 25, 2020.

2020 has delivered significant challenges to the entire world, including Canada. In this year’s National Opinion Poll, APF Canada has captured Canadian opinions on timely and relevant issues in contemporary Canada-Asia relations, including:

• Ottawa’s approach to foreign policy
• Canada’s relationships with the United States and China
• International trade and investment
• Immigration
• Anti-Asian racism
• Powerhouse economies such as India, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan
• Education and the media

This year’s NOP provides a comprehensive overview of Canadians’ sentiments toward the Asia Pacific, particularly in light of COVID-19. Our survey findings indicate that even though Canadians are feeling less connected to the Asia Pacific, the economic importance of Asian countries is well-received and understood.

Our 2020 NOP underscores Canadians’ recognition of the positive impacts of immigration from Asia on the Canadian economy and the negative impacts of anti-Asian racism. It also tracks deteriorating Canadian opinions toward China and the U.S., which our polling indicates are at all-time lows. Central to this year’s takeaways is the need for Canada to stand up to China to protect key national values and bring our detained Canadians back home.

Please join APF Canada’s President and CEO, Stewart Beck, Vice-President, Research, Dr. Jeffrey Reeves, Program Manager, Perspectives Asia, Dr. Sreyoshi Dey, and Post-Graduate Research Fellow, Hugo Roy for the virtual launch of this major survey of Canadian attitudes towards Asia in a time of global disruption.

Note: Please share our registration link within your networks. All registrants will receive a link to a video recording of this webinar.

The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada is one of many leading think-tanks partnering on the Global Town Hall 2020: Rebuilding from the COVID-19 World taking place "around the world, around the clock" on November 19th and 20th. In a marathon virtual one-day session, leading minds from countries such as Indonesia, Australia, India, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, France, and Mexico, will discuss the state of play in the COVID-19 world. More importantly, the Global Town Hall is an opportunity to re-imagine the post-pandemic world and how to rebuild and reform our global community from the standpoint of economics, business, socio-culture, environment, and governance. 

APF Canada's Vice President, Research, Dr. Jeffrey Reeves will be co-moderating the second panel, The Great Social Reset. We encourage you to join us for this and other exciting panel discussions. 

The Great Social Reset: Another Chance to Build a Just, Equitable, and Harmonious Society
(Institutional Partner: Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada)
Time: 10:40 - 11:40 | GMT+7

Panellists:

• President Jose Ramos-Horta,
  Nobel Laureate and President of Timor Leste
• Nurul Izzah Anwar,
  Malaysian Politician and Member of Parliament for Permatang Pauh
• Rev. Kuoichi Sugino,
  Deputy Secretary-General of Religions for Peace

Moderators:

• Prof. David Capie,
  Director of Center for Strategic Studies, Victoria University of Wellington
• Dr. Jeffrey Reeves,
  Vice-President of Research for the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada

Full program details and registration link can be found on the Global Town Hall Website. 

Here is Dr. Reeves' welcoming message to delegates and participants . . .

On November 3-4, 2020, the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada’s First Canadian Women-only Business Mission to South Korea pivoted to a technology-enabled virtual business mission. The two-day conference featured prominent leaders from business, government, and technology, pitch sessions by delegates to showcase women-led Canadian innovation, personalized business to business (B2B) matching making for the official delegates, and networking opportunities for attendees. 

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Click here for more information and to view South Korea Mission webinars.

October 23, 2020: Towards Sustainability: A Discussion on Regenerative Agriculture 

As we near a total population of 8 billion people, it has become critical to re-define our approaches to agriculture for a sustainable future. Regenerative agriculture is a conservation and rehabilitation approach to food and farming systems that focuses on topsoil regeneration, increasing biodiversity, improving the water cycle, enhancing ecosystem services, supporting biosequestration, increasing resilience to climate change, and strengthening the health and vitality of farm soil.

In this workshop, we will explore the concepts of:

• Zero-budget farming
• Soil-based technologies
• Optimized and predictive irrigation systems

October 30, 2020: Emerging Technologies in Precision Agriculture

Worldwide, more than $85 billion is spent on crop protection. New pest-control products can tap into this market while protecting the world’s food supply and lessening impacts on the environment. This second workshop will feature one of the Digital Technology Supercluster’s projects in the area of Precision Agriculture for Crop Health. Led by Terramera, this project is developing new pest and pathogen controls through the use of computational biochemistry, genomics, machine learning, and robotics. By combining large data sets, the research will leverage machine learning and robotics to quickly identify and test new pest management formulations and determine their ability to attack specific fungi on specific crops.  

In this workshop, we will explore the concepts of:

• Computational chemistry
• Robotics and AI
• Data analytics and quantum computing

November 6, 2020: Big Data in Agriculture

Big data can truly revolutionize the agricultural sector by harnessing an interconnected data ecosystem with the right tools and software to integrate various data sources.  With global food demand set to surge almost twofold by 2050, it will be incumbent upon farmers and agricultural producers to harness data and innovation to improve productivity and feed a growing global population.  Armed with data from a growing array of soil sensors, GPS-equipped equipment, weather and environment information, producers who implement precision agriculture will gain a competitive advantage in their operations. On an aggregate basis, there is also an opportunity to take advantage of combined datasets to provide unparalleled data analytics and insights that can better predict and manage key resources while increasing productivity.

In this workshop, we will explore the concepts of leveraging agriculture data in the context of:  

• Data trusts and data cooperatives
• Data management
• Data sharing and governance

The Asia Pacific is in a state of flux. Tensions between the United States and China are testing the region’s existing institutions and leading to informal state groupings, such as the Quad. The Trump administration is advocating for a ‘decoupling’ from China that could result in regional spheres of influence where middle powers, such as Canada, are forced to choose sides. China, in turn, is seeking a return to great power status in Asia and is willing to use coercion, in some instances, to increase its influence. Within these already fluid dynamics, the global COVID pandemic is fostering nationalism and xenophobia within some Asian states. In a region that prioritizes stability, such trends point to a potential for short- to medium-term tensions. 

Canada must navigate these challenges to ensure its national interests within the Asia Pacific. Whether with respect to the U.S., China, or the COVID pandemic, Canadian policy-makers must be forward-looking in how best to approach the region. Learning from other states’ strategic views and foreign policy approaches to Asia is a critical part of Canada’s own strategic process.

APF Canada is incredibly lucky to have three distinguished panelists, each from a different region of the globe and each offering what we believe will be unique perspectives on the Asia Pacific’s current geostrategic state of affairs, China’s global presence, and the challenges and opportunities middle powers, such as Canada, face in the region:

• Theresa Fallon, Founder and Director, Centre for Russia Europe Asia Studies (CREAS), Brussels
• Bilahari Kausikan, Chairman of the Middle East Institute, NUS and Former Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore
• Vikram Singh, Senior Advisor to the Asia Program at the United States Institute of Peace, Washington, DC

APF Canada is pleased to share a ‘sneak peek’ of our new COVID storymap: Mapping the Asia Pacific’s COVID-19 Response. This interactive, geo-enabled map of the diverse responses to the coronavirus pandemic in the Asia Pacific is the culmination of APF Canada’s recent research on policy trends and demonstrates the deeply layered complexity of the impacts COVID-19 has had on public health, digital innovation, mobility, trade & investment, and social dynamics in the region.

Check out our 2-minute promo reel for this exciting new project . . .

We also encourage you to browse the site and uncover some of the compelling stories of innovation and resilience emerging from the Asia Pacific.

The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, in partnership with the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Vancouver, invites you to join us for a webinar on COVID-19 Contact Tracing in South Korea: Pandemic, Technology, and Social Implications.

South Korea’s successful response to the COVID-19 outbreak has drawn global attention and praise. At the core of its COVID-19 strategy is the ‘Trace, Test, and Treat’ model, which has depended heavily on contact tracing process that involved extensive collection and use of personal data. While successful, this approach has raised concerns over its liberal collection and use of data.

In this context, South Korea’s contact tracing efforts bring up important questions about public policy and the role of digital technology in our society: How do we balance public good and privacy in the era of ‘big data’? What does COVID-19 tell us about the future of tech governance? What do South Korea’s experiences teach Canada?

Two leading privacy experts, Park Kyung-sin (Korea University) and Carole Piovesan (INQ Law) will discuss these critical questions during the webinar, in the context of contact tracing efforts in South Korea and Canada.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, China has been able to effectively contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, begin recovery and resume normal operations. Notably, throughout both the outbreak and recovery stages, China has seen a profound acceleration in digital transformation across almost all sectors. Businesses have had to turn to digital tools like never before in order to navigate the disruptions caused by COVID-19, and consumer behaviour has been fundamentally reshaped.

In this session, Alibaba Group President Michael Evans will discuss the implications for long-term change and recovery in China as well as how Alibaba is leveraging its digital economy to empower businesses and MSMEs from around the world to access growth opportunities in China and embrace digital transformation.

Taiwan’s measures for preventing the spread of COVID-19 have been remarkably effective with 440 confirmed cases and only 7 deaths as of May 20, 2020, or an infection rate of about one case for every 54,000 people. By contrast, Canada has a rate of about one case for every 472 people. As economies around the world begin to re-open, Taiwan’s approaches can be instructive to other jurisdictions, helping global efforts to contain the virus until effective treatments and vaccines can be developed.

In this session, Minister Audrey Tang, Digital Minister, Taiwan would be providing some insites on the approach and lessons learned.

Speaker:

Minister Audrey Tang was appointed to Taiwan’s Executive Yuan, or Cabinet, in 2016, and has described her role as being one that, through the use of digital technologies and systems, assists the government in solving problems and enhances communication and cooperation between government agencies, civil technology and community. Minister Tang remains a member of the K-12 National Curriculum Development Committee (part of Taiwan’s National Academy for Education Research), and is an advisor to Apple, Oxford University Press and Socialtext Inc., a Silicon Valley-based company focused on enterprise social software. She is a free software programmer and held senior positions with technology companies and programming languages from an early age, including with Perl 6 (now Raku), S-Team Technology Co., Haskell Language, OurInternet Inc., BenQ Corp., and Inforian Inc.

South Korea has earned wide acclaim from international observers for its swift and organized response to a rapid rise in cases early in the COVID-19 pandemic. This response enabled the country to contain the novel coronavirus's spread, ‘flattening the curve’ without comprehensive lockdowns or travel bans, which have characterized many other countries’ experiences.

In this session, noted economist Dr. Choi Byung-il and public health expert Dr. Kwon Soonman will speak to the multifaceted response by South Korea’s government, industry, and civil society that helped buoy the country – socially and economically – during the pandemic. Discussion will be moderated by Dr. Yoon Songyee, CEO of NCSOFT West and 2020 Chair of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada’s Asia Business Leaders Advisory Council.

Speakers:

Dr. CHOI Byung-il: Professor and Former Dean, Graduate School of International Studies, Ewha Womans University; President Emeritus, Korea International Economic Association; Former President and CEO, Korea Economic Research Institute.

Dr. KWON Soonman, Professor and Former Dean of the School of Public Health, Seoul National University; President of the Korean Health Economic Association; Former President of Korean Society of Gerontology.

Moderator:

Dr. YOON Songyee, Chief Executive Officer, NCSOFT West; Asian Business Leaders Advisory Council (ABLAC) 2020 Chair.

The Asian Development Bank has recently published its regular flagship publication, Asian Development Outlook (ADO). It reports that developing Asia’s growth will slow sharply to 2.2% in 2020 due to the COVID-19 outbreak and global growth slowdown. The decline in growth is broad-based, affecting the People's Republic of China and India, as well as the rest of developing Asia’s economies. Risks to the region's economies are extremely large due to the uncertain evolution and effects of the ongoing pandemic. In the first presentation of ADO 2020 in Canada, ADB's Chief Economist, Yasuyuki Sawada, will also share just-updated and previously unreleased estimates of the pandemic's economic impact on the world's most populous region. In addition, Dr. Sawada will discuss economic policy implications of COVID-19 in Asia and the Pacific.

The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada is proud to announce the 2020 launch of its annual APF Canada Investment Monitor signature report, which delves into the foreign direct investment (FDI) relationship between Canada and the Asia Pacific.

The launch coincides with the online release of new data through investmentmonitor.ca, which allows Canadians to use our data visualization tool to uncover novel stories about the Canada-Asia Pacific investment relationship.

By harnessing primary sources and in-depth research, the Investment Monitor adds much needed nuance to flashpoint discussions on the future of Canada’s economic engagement with the Asia Pacific at a time when that engagement is urgently needed. The investment landscape will shift considerably as the world navigates the impacts of COVID-19, and APF Canada’s tracking will provide a valuable baseline as we look to the coming years.

The 2020 report, Trade Agreements & Foreign Investment in the Asia Pacific, focuses on the connections between FDI and Canada’s free trade agreements with Asia Pacific economies. As 2019 concludes the first year of Canada’s engagement in the CPTPP, this report adds to our understanding of how FTAs can provide a roadmap for Asia Pacific engagement. This year’s report also expands on the previous report’s city-level coverage of FDI by analyzing how Canada’s cities are both investors and recipients and describing FDI’s role in rural Canadian communities.

We invite you to join us as we take stock of the Canada-Asia investment relationship to date, and examine the importance of strategic engagement going forward.

This project was completed in partnership with The School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary and with sponsorship from the Government of British Columbia, AdvantageBC, Bank of Canada, Export Development Canada, and Invest in Canada.