Event Archive

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.

The Asia Pacific Youth Council invites you to 'Love in Translation,' a Floor 9 Salon Series event featuring a screening of It Runs in the Family, a film by award-winning director Joella Cabalu.

About the film

A gay Filipino-Canadian artist, Jay Cabalu, along with his sister Joella, travels from Vancouver, Canada to the U.S. and the Philippines to meet their other queer relatives to see how they have reconciled their religiosity, sexuality, and family relationships.

As the audience, we are invited into Jay's art studio to look on as he creates a new collage art piece and reflects back on his journey and its impact on his struggles.

It Runs in the Family is an intimate exploration of acceptance and what the modern queer family can be like in the Filipino diaspora. Click the movie still below to view the trailer.

About the director

Since then, Joella has developed a track record as a creative and collaborative producer working with emerging women directors on compelling short documentaries, including FIXED! (2017), Do I Have Boobs Now? (2017), and Biker Bob's Posthumous Adventure (2019). She is currently producing her first feature documentary, Back Home, with support from the Telefilm Talent to Watch fund.

Jack Austin Centre for Asia Pacific Business Studies Presents: Canada as a 21st Century Pacific Power: Toward 'Broad Diversification' in Asia

Dr. Jeffrey Reeves, Vice-President, Research for the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, will discuss the Foundation's new blueprint for a Canada-Asia strategy based on dominant regional trends and institutions, Canada's regional comparative advantage and value-add, and Canadian national interests.

The Asian region continues to grow in importance and in complexity for Canada. Opportunities for diplomatic and commercial engagement have expanded, for example, around areas including middle power diplomacy and economic regionalism. Concurrently, uncertainty and instability in the Asia Pacific – whether in the form of trade tensions between the United States and China, a deterioration in bilateral relations between Canada and China, or a creeping militarization of issues ranging from the South China Sea to India-controlled Kashmir – have grown and continue to expand.

A roundtable discussion with Dr. Arisa Ema, Assistant Professor at the University of Tokyo.

Dr. Ema will talk about artificial intelligence (AI) and the social issues it underpins in Japan, drawing from her extensive academic and policy work.

Following her presentation, a discussion with Canadian experts will be facilitated to explore opportunities for closer co-operation between Canada and Japan on AI.

Join us on Monday, January 27th for a special film screening and discussion on family, identity, and Asian-Canadian heritage with touching works from local, rising film directors. Through the lens of three young filmmakers, this Floor 9 Salon Series presentation will explore the complexity of identity, the wrestling between two cultures and the resulting shared experience of filial reconciliation.

You will be introduced to the work of each filmmaker through a short pre-screening presentation, and each film will be followed by a discussion and a Q&A session. 

Refreshments will be served!

Featured Short Films:

Breakaway

Directed by Jenny Lee-Gilmore: Set in 1970s Vancouver, Canada, Breakaway follows 11-year-old Sammy, an ice hockey-obsessed Chinese-Canadian girl. She has dreams of one day playing ice hockey but her responsibilities at home and bullying older brother get in the way.

Kueh

Directed by Ian Tan & Shiun Okada: Kueh tells the story of Jin, a Malaysian-Canadian high-schooler. A past family tragedy is brought up when Jin asks to borrow the family car, which creates a rift in his relationship with his father.

Thicker Than Water

Directed by Joshua Lam: Spurred into reconciling the rift between them through their father’s last written words, siblings Justin and Katie explore their inconsistent memories over a long lost photo journal.

States across the globe are defining conceptions of, and strategies for engaging, the Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP), an emerging geopolitical construct that extends from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific. Many of these states have different definitions of the geographic scope of the Indo-Pacific, not to mention different visions and interests for the region. Some, including Canada, have yet to define a stance.

As the Indo-Pacific strategic environment continues to evolve in unpredictable ways, and despite these varying characterizations of FOIP, it is important for Canada and like-minded states across the region to develop multilateral standards and strategies in response to regional issues. To achieve greater regional co-ordination between such states, frank dialogue around specific opportunities for co-operation is essential.

To this end, the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, with the support of the Japanese Embassy in Ottawa and other public and private sector partners, will convene a conference in Vancouver on January 22/23 2020 to facilitate such a dialogue.

The Free and Open Indo-Pacific: Charting a Common Approach conference will explore different states’ understanding of the FOIP concept as it applies to their domestic, foreign, and security policy-making processes. Speakers and participants will be invited from Canada and Japan, as well as from ASEAN member states, Australia, New Zealand, India, and the United States. Participants will provide an overview of their state’s respective understanding of the FOIP concept and outline state-directed activities undertaken in support of FOIP.

In particular, participants will explore the three broad and interconnected themes of governance, economic interconnectivity, and security challenges, all with an eye on facilitating unity of action. Within these themes, there are a number of specific issue areas with strong opportunities for regional co-operation. These include, but are not limited to: international law, trade and investment, energy and food security, gender and indigenous relations, supply chain management, maritime security, and peace-support co-operation in the Indo-Pacific.

The Free and Open Indo-Pacific: Charting a Common Approach conference will serve as a venue for informed scholarship and policy discussion – the first step in actualizing a common approach challenges for the Indo-Pacific.

By Invitation Only

Mr. Stephenson will speak on the current downward trajectory of U.S.-China relations and how Canada – despite any resolution in the arbitrary arrest of the two Michaels and/or the Meng Wanzhou affair – is going to have to deal with increasing competition and rivalry between the two great powers.

What led to breakdown in the relationship between the U.S. and China? What are the opportunities and challenges that Canada faces in its current engagement with both the U.S. and China?

Express your interest by emailing events@asiapacific.ca

The CPTPP TRACKER gauges Canada’s performance within the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership, the 11-member trade deal that came into force in December 2018.

The inaugural edition of the annual CPTPP TRACKER presents an early assessment of the first year of the CPTPP, showing early gains and losses in trade expansion, opportunities created for Canadian businesses, and the patterns of growth in CPTPP economies over the past three years.

It also explores the context in which the CPTPP entered into force, and the effects of the U.S.-China trade war on member economies and Canada’s own export performance.

Our researchers look forward to sharing their results, and fielding your questions.

By Invitation Only

Patricia Evangelista, selected as this year’s Marshall McLuhan Fellow, will discuss her experiences covering under-reported issues in the Philippines, the implications for those on the margins, and the challenges and efforts of bringing to light difficult and unpopular stories.

In her talk at APF Canada, Patricia will underscore the significant role the media play as a social conscience, and one that influences public policy and action. She will also discuss what journalists should do to responsibly communicate stories of those on the margins at a time when human rights and other fundamental freedoms in the Philippines are under the spotlight.

The Marshall McLuhan Award is presented every year by the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility and the Canadian Embassy in the Philippines to a Filipino/Filipina journalist who has done excellent work in the preceding year.

About Patricia Evangelista:

Patricia Evangelista is this year’s McLuhan Fellow and a multimedia journalist for the online news organization, Rappler, in the Philippines. She specializes in reporting disasters, conflicts, and development issues. She also has covered human rights-related stories, extra-judicial killings, and the long national campaign for the legislation of reproductive rights. 

She has produced documentaries and long-form multimedia reportage that brought her international acclaim and recognition:  Her reporting of armed conflict as well as the aftermath of supertyphoon Haiyan were awarded the Agence France-Presse Kate Webb Prize for exceptional journalism in dangerous conditions. She is a recipient of two New York Festivals medals for her documentary work. Her recent work for Rappler received the Human Rights Press Award, three Society of Publishers in Asia awards for Excellence in Feature Writing, Investigative Reporting and Human Rights Reporting. 

Patricia is a fellow of the South East Asian Press Alliance, the Dart Center Ochberg International Fellowship for Trauma, and the 2018 Logan Nonfiction Fellowship at the Carey Institute for Global Good. She is currently completing a non-fiction book on the Philippine drug war.

Please RSVP to events@asiapacific.ca

The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada invites you to the launch of its 2019 National Opinion Poll: Canadian Views on Human Capital from Asia on October 30th, 2019 in Vancouver.

As the development of increasingly sophisticated technologies drives the demand for high-skilled talent, Asia, with a young and educated workforce and now a leader in research, presents a hopeful opportunity for Canada.

With an aim to inform public policies around attracting and retaining international talent, this edition of APF Canada’s National Opinion Poll assesses Canadian attitudes toward the recruitment of foreign workers with special attention to high-skilled talent from Asia, its importance to the future of the Canadian economy, and immigration policies Canada should pursue.

Presentation & Q&A Session with APF Canada’s Surveys and Polling Team

Followed by Reception

Seating is limited, please RSVP to events@asiapacific.ca

Note: This event is open to media; registration is required via events@asiapacific.ca

The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada (APF Canada) is dedicated to strengthening multi-sectoral linkages between Canada and Asia by promoting bilateral and multilateral dialogues around technology, economic, political, and security issues. In line with this mandate, APF Canada will convene a 1.5-day conference in Toronto on October 9 & 10, 2019 to examine the intersect between technology and geopolitics; specifically, the challenges and opportunities around technology adoption, markets and investment, development, and standards within the broader global context of U.S.-China technology competition.

Canada’s future economic development and competitiveness depends on its ability to successfully navigate this difficult terrain. Yet, Canadian businesses and governments will find it increasingly difficult to make decisions about which technologies to pursue, to develop, and to adopt based on technical criteria. Neither will the state’s choices be cost-free, with potentially far-reaching impacts on trade and investment. A clear discussion on Canadian national interests and strategies for dealing with this technology ‘divide’ is, therefore, critical.     

By Invitation Only

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