The 40th Canada-ASEAN Summit was concurrently held with the 31st ASEAN Summit in the Philippines on November 14, 2017.
Canada has been building strong relations with South East Asian countries even before the ASEAN was established. President Rodrigo Duterte gave the floor to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for his privilege speech. PM Trudeau emphasized on deepening the relationship between Canada and ASEAN’s ten member countries.
PM Trudeau is the first Canadian PM to meet all ASEAN leaders together. He said Canada is ready to be a key partner of ASEAN for the next 50 years.
“Canada supports sustainable and just solutions to crisis in the region as well as peaceful resolution to crisis, specifically with the case of Rohingya refugees in Myanmar and Bangladesh,” PM Trudeau said.
PM Trudeau also announced that Canada-ASEAN Scholarship to students in the region will be available early September 2018. Reminding North Korea of its international obligation for peacekeeping, PM Trudeau mentioned that Canada stands united with ASEAN region and the rest of the world for peace.
Canada is the 8th largest trading partner of ASEAN region with contributions amounting to $12-B in 2015.