This week, the Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development, participated in the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministerial Meeting and the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting alongside Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in Lima, Peru.
At APEC, the Prime Minister announced the substantive conclusion of negotiations for a Canada-Indonesia comprehensive economic partnership agreement. The agreement will be a milestone in the Canada-Indonesia relationship and will create jobs for Canadians, attract investment into Canada and open new markets for Canadian businesses. The Prime Minister also announced Canada's vision to strengthen partnerships, including in the nuclear sector, in the Indo-Pacific region through the Canadian Trade Gateway in Southeast Asia. Part of Canada's Indo-Pacific Strategy, the gateway will help Canadian businesses grow their presence in the region and strengthen commercial ties between Canada and Indo-Pacific economies.
At the APEC Ministerial Meeting, Minister Ng emphasized Canada's commitment to working with APEC partners toward strong, sustainable and inclusive growth that benefits Canadians and people across the Indo-Pacific. She also highlighted the increasingly important role of innovation and digital technologies in transitioning to a formal and global economy. Minister Ng reiterated Canada's support for a rules-based multilateral trading system and underscored Canada's efforts toward a reformed and modernized WTO.
On the margins of the meeting, Minister Ng met with representatives of Indigenous groups in Peru and of Canadian and Peruvian businesses to discuss key trade issues, including economic empowerment, job creation for Canadians and sustainable growth. The Minister underscored the importance of the Canada-Peru Free Trade Agreement (CPFTA), which has enabled bilateral trade to expand considerably since its establishment in 2009.
In a series of bilateral meetings, Minister Ng spoke with Katherine Tai, United States Trade Representative; Úrsula León, Peru's Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism; Budi Santoso, Indonesia's Minister of Trade; Muto Yoji, Japan's Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry; Wentao Wang, China's Minister of Commerce; and Pichai Naripthaphan, Thailand's Minister of Commerce.
Minister Ng concluded her visit to Peru at the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, at which Canada announced it will host the APEC Business Advisory Council meeting in 2025.
