Now more than ever, Canada is focused on stimulating economic growth at home by increasing trade with partners in Asia. Fast-growing markets in the region offer enormous potential for Canadian businesses and opportunities to create good-paying jobs for Canada’s middle class.

Canada's Minister of International Trade Canada Francois Philippe Champagne

Speaking to an audience of Canadian business executives in Ottawa, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of International Trade, today reiterated the importance of relations between Canada and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), as Canada celebrates 40 years of engagement in the region. The Minister also took the opportunity to announce his upcoming travel to East and Southeast Asia from May 20 to 26, 2017.
On May 20 and 21, Minister Champagne will take part in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam, to promote Canada’s progressive trade approach and advance engagement with Asia Pacific.
 While in Vietnam, Minister Champagne will meet with senior government and business leaders to discuss ways to expand Canada’s trade, including in Canadian forest products, with Vietnam.
On May 22 in Singapore, the Minister will meet with representatives of key ministries, to advance trade and investment relations. He will meet with leaders of Singapore’s construction industry to promote innovative Canadian building systems and wood exports. He will speak at Canada’s B2B Networking Marketplace @ CommunicAsia/BroadcastAsia 2017, an event hosted by Canada’s High Commission in Singapore to showcase Canadian information and communication technology companies, and he will meet with members of the Canada-ASEAN Business Council and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Singapore.
The Minister will be in Seoul, South Korea, on May 24, to advance trade and investment relations and promote Canada’s wood and wood products. He will meet with government officials as well as representatives of businesses operating in South Korea. He will also join a round table to discuss education and business with participants from Sookmyung Women’s University.
Minister Champagne will also visit Tokyo, Japan, where, on May 25 and 26, he will be joined by Canadian associations to promote Canada’s wood and forest sectors and seek new growth opportunities for Canadian businesses in the Japanese market, Canada’s second-largest export market in Asia for forestry products. Minister Champagne’s itinerary will include remarks at the AG/Sum Agritech summit and meetings with business leaders, including businesswomen. He will also meet with senior Japanese officials, including the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Minister of Foreign Affairs.