Canada Builds Closer Trade and Investment Ties with Asia-Pacific Partners

(Minister of International Trade)

The Honourable Peter Van Loan, Minister of International Trade, today [Monday] reaffirmed Canada’s commitment to strengthen trade and economic cooperation with the Asia-Pacific region before wrapping up his trade visit to Japan.

While in Japan, Minister Van Loan attended the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Trade in Sapporo, where he held a number of bilateral meetings with counterparts from APEC member economies.

“The Asia-Pacific region is a priority for Canada,” said Minister Van Loan. “We are committed to APEC and will continue to work with our partners to promote economic growth, cooperation, trade and investment across the region.” Minister Van Loan stressed Canada’s support for economic integration in the Asia-Pacific region, including working toward a free trade area of the Asia-Pacific as a long-term objective. Minister Van Loan told his APEC counterparts that Canada, as host of the upcoming G-20 summit, will focus on restoring the health of the global economy and laying the foundation for future sustainable and balanced growth.

“Free trade and investment are vital to recovery from the global economic downturn,” said the Minister. “When Canada hosts the G-8 and G-20 summits later this month, we will be telling the world that partnerships, not protectionism, hold the key to global economic recovery.”

On the margins of the APEC meeting, Minister Van Loan continued to engage with Trans-Pacific Partnership members to assess how Canada might add value to the negotiations. Read more here.