Featuring: Vina Nadjibulla, Vice-President Research & Strategy, APF Canada
Excerpt: "It's a shocking development. There's no other way to describe it. South Korea has experienced martial law in the past but not since it became a full-fledged liberal democracy in the '80s...
"This is very much about a domestic power struggle and a deeply unpopular president essentially bringing in this measure in the midst of a number of debates in its domestic parliament on the budget as well as scandals — including with his own wife — and other issues that have been plaguing democracy and the constitutional system in South Korea for the last few months."
Featuring: Vina Nadjibulla, Vice-President Research & Strategy, APF Canada
Excerpt: "Some chapters need an overhaul to get CPTPP 'in line with the latest standards, particularly around digital trade...
"There are 'a lot of high hopes for Canada as the chair...' New Zealand got the bloc to agree to the terms of reference for the review last year and 'Canada now needs to show that it’s keeping up that momentum and adding to that.'"
Indo-Pacific trade bloc punts China membership decision into the long grass
Featuring: Vina Nadjibulla, Vice-President Research & Strategy, APF Canada
Excerpt: "The issue with Taiwan is that it has not garnered consensus among certain members — notably Malaysia and Singapore.
“...The group has decided that the expansion is not going to be on a first come first serve basis...[Costa Rica and Taiwan] are the two most prepared applicants” to meet the high standards of the deal. “But the issue of Taiwan is held up because of the politics with China."
Featuring: Vina Nadjibulla, Vice-President Research & Strategy, APF Canada
Excerpt: Vina Nadjibulla features on the Mortal Giants podcast with Sandy Garossino, former Crown prosecutor and public affairs columnist for Canada’s National Observer.
"We have to go back to the June 2024 trip that President Putin took to North Korea. At that point, North Korea and Russia revived a Cold War defense agreement, a mutual security agreement. And we've seen a lot more cooperation between North Korea and Russia. North Korea has already been supplying Russia with much needed munition& and even missiles. And of course, Russia has been giving North Korea money, food and fuel....
“It's done so in a very strategic way, sort of like a very calibrated way. China gives North Korea a little bit, but not too much. Whereas now we are seeing Russia, which is a much more unpredictable actor. And the big question mark for everybody, is in addition to financing fuel and food, will Putin also give North Korea sensitive military technology?”
Featuring: Vina Nadjibulla, Vice-President Research & Strategy, APF Canada
Excerpt: The United States plan to deploy advanced missile units to Japan and the Philippines is "consistent with Washington’s broader strategy of enhancing defence cooperation with key allies, notably Japan and the Philippines, to prepare for potential contingencies involving Taiwan.
“It is a strategic move to bolster deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region, in response to China’s military build-up and modernisation efforts and increasingly aggressive behaviour towards Taiwan. It also creates facts on the ground that will not be easily reversible by a future US administration,."
Featuring: Vina Nadjibulla, Vice-President Research & Strategy, APF Canada
Excerpt: Vina Nadjibulla notes that Ottawa’s partnership with the GCTF (Global Cooperation and Training Framework) is an example of its deepening relationship with Taiwan in recent years...
“I’m very happy to see Canada part of that coalition,”[and] working to bolster Taiwan’s capabilities is “essentially trying to safeguard democracy and security in Taiwan.”
Featuring: Vina Nadjibulla, Vice-President Research & Strategy, APF Canada
Excerpt: Vina Nadjibulla features on the Mortal Giants podcast with Sandy Garossino, former Crown prosecutor and public affairs columnist for Canada’s National Observer.
"I think if Ukraine is probably the biggest loser, [the] European Union would be the second biggest loser from this election. President[- elect] Trump has shown a lot of hostility towards the European Union and the concept of a united Europe — and has no interest to deal with Brussels and [the] EU as a bloc. He prefers to work bilaterally with certain European leaders like the president of Hungary.
"The U.S. and the EU have decades of political and cultural cooperation and the largest bilateral trade and investment relationship in the world.
“I think a lot will depend on whether or not Europe is able to unite in the way that the French president is now saying, ‘well, if it's America First, then we also need to have a “Europe First” approach.' "
The Hill Times - Politics This Morning, November 18, 2024
Featuring: Jeff Nankivell, President & CEO, APF Canada
Excerpt: Nankivell pointed out that "economic inclusion will likely also come up at the [APEC] summit," following a discussion on APF Canada's newest report on E-Formalization and economic inclusivity via digital tools.
“APEC is one place where Canada works with some important partners in advancing the cause of inclusive trade…to get people from Indigenous communities and other historically disadvantaged groups into trade."
Featuring: Vina Nadjibulla, Vice-President Research & Strategy, APF Canada
Excerpt: "The trade wars with China will be back...
"There will be escalation of tensions on issues around Taiwan ... there will be a lot more volatility and unpredictability in the relationship. And Canada will need to watch that very closely because again, we can find ourselves caught in the middle."
Office of the President Republic of China (Taiwan) , November 18, 2024
Featuring: Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada Women Entrepreneurs Visiting Group
Excerpt: "Vice President Hsiao Meiqin received the "Canada Asia Pacific Foundation Women Entrepreneurs Visiting Group" this morning (18th). She hopes that through mutual exchanges and learning, the Taiwan-Canada partnership will continue to grow and develop, and jointly move towards a more equal and inclusive world of women's contributions."
Featuring: Vina Nadjibulla, Vice-President Research & Strategy, APF Canada
Excerpt: "[We should not]mistakenly lump Brazil into the … anti-West bloc that Russia, China, Iran and others within the BRICS represent...
“It’s important as we enter this much more volatile, unpredictable period in international relations to maintain nuanced, smart approaches and policies to emerging and middle powers like Brazil...
“[Canada] need[s] to be much more forthcoming in making those global institutions fit for purpose. That’s going to be really challenging with the next Trump administration, which has a very limited commitment to multilateralism and global institutions, and has a lot more isolationist tendencies.”
The Canadian Press, via The Star, November 15, 2024
Featuring: Vina Nadjibulla, Vice-President Research & Strategy, APF Canada
Excerpt: "APEC is meeting in the context of rising protectionism, intense geopolitical competition, uncertain economic growth and the Trump election...
"[Vina explains that] Trudeau has been pushing to preserve rules-based trade 'that is critical to our prosperity,' especially with like-minded countries."
Click here to read the full version of this Canadian Press story.
Featuring: Vina Nadjibulla, Vice-President Research & Strategy, APF Canada
Excerpt: "Some say when the U.S. becomes unreliable and unpredictable, that other democracies, middle powers like Japan, Australia, Canada and others, should be coming together and cooperating more closely...
"But we also see a tendency that everybody just tries to manage their relationship with the U.S. bilaterally, like everybody is just trying to survive the chaos as opposed to coordinating."
Featuring: Jeff Nankivell, President & CEO, APF Canada
Excerpt: "In absolute terms, exports to Asia have grown at a healthy clip...there are good opportunities for Canadian companies to expand in Southeast Asia and Japan, where agriculture tariffs are declining as part of the CPTPP.
"....But other markets haven’t shaped up the way evangelists of trade diversification had hoped. Companies are nervous to expand in China, given its tensions with the U.S., and the diplomatic spat between Canada and India over the killing of a Canadian citizen, allegedly by Indian agents, has flattened the trajectory of what could have been possible."
Featuring: Vina Nadjibulla, Vice-President Research & Strategy, APF Canada
Excerpt: "If there are charges laid in the process on individuals that are living in India at whatever level, then it would trigger an extradition process which could take years. And of course India is unlikely to cooperate.
"Whether that would be the case now I think it's a bigger question mark, because the disruption is on a bigger scale, and we're still not, I believe, at the bottom of this."
Featuring: Vina Nadjibulla, Vice-President Research & Strategy, APF Canada
Excerpt: "What has happened now is obviously a huge escalation in the diplomatic crisis... We’re waiting to see what will be the ramifications on some sectors, particularly commercial relations, as well as the flow of students to Canada, as well as obviously travel from Canada.
“...[T]here’s a lot of diversity in the Indo-Canadian community and the South Asian community in Canada... Particularly in public discussions, and the way the media covers it, sometimes there’s this kind of blanket statement [about] that one community... [yet] there is now a heightened sense of fear and tensions and uncertainty across the [Hindu and Sikh] communities within Canada."
Featuring: Vina Nadjibulla, Vice-President Research & Strategy, APF Canada
Excerpt: "Ottawa is unlikely to take more punitive steps until more details of the Nijjar case emerge...
"If there are charges laid in the process on individuals that are living in India at whatever level, then it would trigger an extradition process which could take years. And of course, India is unlikely to cooperate."
Featuring: Vina Nadjibulla, Vice-President Research & Strategy, APF Canada
Excerpt: "India has made it very clear [that] it sees this dispute very much as something initiated by Prime Minister [Justin] Trudeau and his government—so they have personalized it in some ways—which leads me to believe that, as long as we have the current government in Ottawa, it is unlikely that we see a change in the diplomatic relationship."
Featuring: Vina Nadjibulla, Vice-President Research & Strategy, APF Canada
Excerpt: "Vina Nadjibulla... told CBC News that not only in ASEAN, but in the past two years, Canada has increased its exposure in the Indo-Pacific region in all aspects, including visibility in the Taiwan Strait and participation in military and maritime exercises in the Indo-Pacific region.
" 'The stability and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region is in Canada's best interest. Canada needs to continue to implement the Indo-Pacific Strategy and build partnerships. In addition to trade, investment and economic prosperity, it should also assist in the peace and stability of the region because we rely on continued peace in the region.' "
Featuring: Vina Nadjibulla, Vice-President Research & Strategy, APF Canada
Excerpt: Vina Nadjibulla outlines how there are "two sides to the story" when it comes to China's green policies. "Chinese investment has made its green technological advancements affordable for the rest of the world. In the developing world today, oftentimes renewable energy is the cheapest option.
“The dark side of the story is that China did this through subsidies and through artificially lowering prices such that (the) solar industry in the US and European Union was wiped out.”
Nadjibulla futhur stresses how the "U.S. Inflation Reduction Act, and other efforts in Europe are trying to make sure the West doesn’t get wiped out when it comes to EVs or batteries."