Dans l'actualité

Why is Canada so interested in ASEAN?

ICI Radio-Canada, October 26, 2025

Featuring: Vice-President, Research & Strategy, APF Canada, Vina Nadjibulla 

Excerpt: "There is complementarity between the Southeast Asian and Canadian economies, [says] Vina Nadjibulla, VP, Research and Strategy at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada.

"They have a growing middle class, a growing economy, and many needs in terms of energy, food, investment, infrastructure and technological support...[ASEAN countries] are trying not to get caught between the United States and China, two giants now engaged in strategic competition. Canada is also trying to avoid getting caught in this battle."

Carney pitches Canada to ASEAN as Trump threatens more tariffs

CBC News, October 26, 2025

Featuring: Vice-President, Research & Strategy, APF Canada, Vina Nadjibulla 

Excerpt: In response to the additional 10 per cent tariff placed on Canada over the weekend by U.S. President Donald Trump, Nadjibulla says Canada must "be able to do multiple things at once; stabilizing trade discussions with the U.S. is job number one, but equally important is to diversify our trading relationships... including in Asia, and of course the final job is to strengthen our economy at home." 

She adds that PM Carney's meetings over the weekend with members of ASEAN are critical for finalizing the Canada-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement. "Prime Minister Carney essentially wants to see that deal finalized as early as possible next year." The PM was able to "raise Canada's profile [in the region], to position Canada as a leader that is interested in continuing rules-based trade and... economic integration." 

PM Pitches Canada as Trade Partner for Southeast Asia

CTV News, October 26, 2025

Featuring: Vice-President, Research & Strategy, APF Canada, Vina Nadjibulla 

Excerpt: Nadjibulla tells CTV during an on-air interview that Canada's outreach to the Asia Pacific for trade partnerships is "absolutely critical . . . it would be impossible for Canada to meet the target of doubling our non-U.S. exports without deeper partnerships in Southeast Asia and Asia more generally."

She adds that these partnerships are also vital for securing critical infrastructure needed to maintain and expand trading relations like "ports and railways, and for that we need a lot of new capital."

Carney to pitch Canada as reliable partner in Asia

Carney faces historic choice between South Korea and Europe for submarine fleet

Globe and Mail, October 25, 2025

Featuring: Vice-President, Research & Strategy, APF Canada, Vina Nadjibulla 

Excerpt: 

"Former prime minister Jean Chrétien once nixed a helicopter deal and Justin Trudeau originally opposed buying the F-35 fighter jet, but Mr. Carney’s very hands-on approach reflects “the reality that security and the economy are now inseparable,” said Vina Nadjibulla, vice-president of research and strategy at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. 

“Major procurements have become strategic industrial policy, alliance management, and national-security decisions all at once – appropriate for leader-level engagement in an era of great-power competition and supply-chain geopolitics."

Canada’s Indo-Pacific Pivot: Strategic Signals and Bilateral Motion

The Swing by Pendulum Group, October 24, 2025

Featuring: Vice-President, Research & Strategy, APF Canada, Vina Nadjibulla 

Episode Notes: 

This week Yaroslav Baran is joined by two luminaries of foreign policy and trade with a particular expertise in the Asia-Pacific region: Vina Najibulla is Vice-President, Research & Strategy at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada and Jonathan Berkshire Miller is Co-Founder & Principal at Pendulum Geopolitical Advisory.

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand has just completed a whirlwind tour of China, Singapore, and India—three countries chosen with clear intent. This marks the Carney government’s first major diplomatic engagement in Asia, signaling a strategic re-entry into a region that’s central to Canada’s long-term economic and geopolitical interests.

So what is Canada trying to achieve? And is it working?

Three key messages emerged from this tour . . . [listen for more].

Mark Carney Turns Attention to Asia as Trump Terminates Trade Negotiations

Newsweek, October 24, 2025 

Featuring: Vice-President, Research & Strategy, APF Canada, Vina Nadjibulla 

Excerpt: Vina Nadjibulla, vice president of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada: “While the world economy is fragmenting, Carney needs to make it clear that Canada stands apart and is still interested in rules-based trade and globalization.”

Canada’s PM Mark Carney courts Asia to cut economic dependence on US

Financial Times, October 24, 2025

Featuring: Vice-President, Research & Strategy, APF Canada, Vina Nadjibulla 

Excerpt: Nadjibulla tells the Financial Times that Carney's first official trip to Asia is part of a project to “reimagining Canada’s foreign policy”.

“Old assumptions are no longer holding, so we need to change the way we approach the world; it’s pragmatic diplomacy."

Carney faced with balancing relations with China, U.S. as he departs for summits

CBC News, October 24, 2025

Featuring: Vice-President, Research & Strategy, APF Canada, Vina Nadjibulla 

Excerpt: When it comes to the China-U.S. trade dispute, Nadjibulla says that Canada and Indo-Pacific middle powers are trying not to get caught in the middle of "the two giants that are now engaged in strategic competition." 

Prime Minister Carney's first trip to Asia starts this week with ASEAN, APEC summits

The Canadian Press , October 24, 2025

Featuring: Vice-President, Research & Strategy, APF Canada, Vina Najibulla 

Excerpt: "I think this is an opportunity for Canadians and for the regional partners to hear from Prime Minister Carney, his vision for engaging with the Indo-Pacific, how he's intending to deepen trade and economic relations as well as security partnerships," says Nadjibulla on Carney's upcoming trip to Asia this week. 

"Southeast Asia has been kind of the epicentre of the U.S.-China competition" and ASEAN nations are "really keen to have Japan, Australia, the European Union, India and Canada in the room as strategic partners to engage with the region."

PM Carney makes his Asia debut

The Hill Times - Politics This Morning , October 24, 2025

Featuring: Vice-President, Research & Strategy, APF Canada, Vina Najibulla 

Excerpt: In Malaysia, Nadjibulla says Prime Minister Carney will likely look to “make some political signals” on finalizing the Canada-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement.

While the FTA has gone through a negotiation committee with 14 meetings over the last few years, Nadjibullas says that it seems "unlikely that the talks will conclude this year, and Canada is now looking to finalize the agreement by 2026."

Canada's Carney visits Asia to forge new alliances and reduce US dependence

Reuters, October 24, 2025

Featuring: Vice-President, Research & Strategy, APF Canada, Vina Najibulla 

Excerpt: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney travels to Asia today for his first official visit to the region to expand Canada's trading and diplomatic relationships. 

"While the world economy is fragmenting, Carney needs to make it clear that Canada stands apart and is still interested in rules-based trade and globalization," says Vina Nadjibulla. 

Anand says Canada is in a ‘strategic partnership’ with China

The Canadian Press, October 23, 2025

Featuring: Vice-President, Research & Strategy, APF Canada, Vina Najibulla 

Excerpt: "Selective engagement" with China, Nadjibulla tells the Canadian Press, is hard and complicated to achieve. 

“China doesn’t like to compartmentalize,” she said. “Normally, China likes to have much more linkages between issues.”

She adds that calling Beijing a strategic partner and renewing the 2005 pact makes it unclear how Canada will manage Washington’s concerns about China’s trade practices.

“I don’t know if a strategic partnership is the exact right framing of that relationship,” she said. “It’s been brought back in the context of (us) celebrating 20 years, but I think we now need to actually explain to Canadians what that looks like.”

Business Brief: A new opening with India

The Globe and Mail, October 23, 2025

Featuring: Vice-President, Research & Strategy, APF Canada, Vina Najibulla 

Excerpt: Nadjibulla tells The Globe and Mail that Canada is engaging in an "intentional reset [with India] after a very difficult period. Canada had identified India as a critical partner in our Indo-Pacific Strategy, recognizing its rise as a regional and global power – now the fourth-largest economy, an important leader of the Global South, and a key player in balancing China’s influence.

"... We just released new polling with Angus Reid that shows a majority of Canadians support the diplomatic reset launched by Prime Minister Carney. But overall perceptions of India remain more negative than positive." 

In terms of what Canadians should take away from Canada's joint ministerial statement with India, she says that "both governments are serious about co-operation – and that Canadians are right to want both prosperity and principles. We can uphold human rights and the rule of law while building deeper economic ties. That’s what effective statecraft is supposed to do."

Unknown if Canada will be allowed to fully staff embassy in India amid political tensions

CTV News, October 22, 2025

Featuring: President & CEO, APF Canada, Jeff Nankivell

Excerpt: According to Nankivell, Canada does not have a "full complement" of staff at it's embassy in India yet, as Canada looks to thaw relations with the South Asian nation. 

Nankivell says it should not be overstated that this is a "major roadblock in the relationship," as diplomatic measures like these are done on a "reciprocal basis." 

"If India has faced delays in getting visas for diplomats, either those posted or those travelling to Canada, it would be normal for them to want to exert some pressure [in a] administrative operational manner to say 'we are going to withhold certain things from you until you are fully satisfying us," he explains.

Nankivell stresses that both governments have shown clear signals that they want the Canada-India relationship to move forward at a steady pace, suggesting these issues are "resolvable." 

‘Building trust between Canada and India is going to take time’: Nadjibula

CTV News, October 22, 2025

Featuring: Vice-President, Research & Strategy, APF Canada, Vina Nadjibulla

Excerpt: Amidst conflicting reports on embassy staffing between Canada-India, Nadjibulla tells CTV News that "re-building trust between Canada and India is going to take time, but it is important to take a step back and note that Minister Anand's trip to India... was still quite significant... the joint statement the two countries adopted laid out a number of specific areas where both Canada and India want to co-operate... but in order to make that a reality we need diplomats in each others and we need Canadian diplomats to be based in India to make that work happen. 

"This discussion around visas and around getting our diplomats back on the ground in each others countries needs to continue at the highest levels." 

Carney fourth most travelled G7 leader since becoming prime minister, prioritizing trips to Europe and the U.S.

The Hill Times, October 22, 2025

Featuring: Vice-President, Research & Strategy, APF Canada, Vina Nadjibulla

Excerpt: “We’re seeing this fall more attention to the Indo-Pacific, which was anticipated and was necessary given that the region is critical to Canada’s prosperity and security—and the focus until recently had been on Europe," says Nadjibulla of Carney's upcoming visit to the Indo-Pacific region. 

She notes the upcoming summit calendar, including the ASEAN summit in Malaysia and the APEC summit in South Korea, as key opportunities for Canada to engage with Asia leaders and key an eye on. 

US-China now in a ‘very different kind of trade war’, experts warn

Al Jazeera, October 21, 2025

Featuring: Vice-President, Research & Strategy, APF Canada, Vina Nadjibulla

Excerpt: Nadjibulla explains the impact of China's latest restriction on the export of rare earths and what she calls the “information war” between China and the U.S. 

“For the first time, China is doing this extra-terrestrial action that applies to other countries as well [with its amped up export restrictions on rare-earths]. They are prepared to match every US escalation, and have the US back down... This is a very different kind of a trade war than we were experiencing even three months ago.”

Canada defends dropping some counter tariffs against US and China

Global News, October 21, 2025

Featuring: Vice-President, Research & Strategy, APF Canada, Vina Nadjibulla

Excerpt: The Canadian federal government announced exemptions on counter tariffs for some Chinese and American steel and aluminum imports, dividing Canadian businesses and stakeholders.  

From the China perspective, Nadjibulla notes that "relaxing our defences against that [counter tariff] policy from China at this current moment seems hard to understand" as Canadian canola exports struggle to find a new home and Canada faces continued pressure to drop its tariffs on Chinese EVs. 

Who is Japan's newest hardline conservative prime minister?

Global News, October 21, 2025

Featuring: Senior Research Scholar, Northeast Asia, Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, Sun Ryung Park

Excerpt: Sanae Takaichi has been elected Japan's prime minister, the first in the nation's history, after a coalition deal between the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), for which she was elected leader to replace Shigeru Ishiba, and the Japan Innovation Party. 

Park explains her leadership win to Global News: "Facing consecutive electoral setbacks, the party chose Takaichi with hardline credentials to prevent a defection among their supporters to the far-right."