Canada and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

Canada became an Association of Southeast Asian Nations dialogue partner in 1977. It is one of 11 countries with this designation. In September 2023, ASEAN and Canada launched a Strategic Partnership, which identifies opportunities for collaboration between Canada and ASEAN. It was announced through a Joint Leaders' Statement during the ASEAN-Canada Summit in 2023.

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Our relations

Our strategic partnership

Canada became an ASEAN dialogue partner in 1977 and is one of 11 partners with this designation. Dialogue partners work with ASEAN on a range of issues, including:

• political and security issues
• regional integration
• economic interests
• transnational crime and counterterrorism,
• disaster risk reduction, and other areas.

In 2009, Canada's Ambassador to Indonesia was also appointed Canada’s Ambassador to ASEAN, given the ASEAN Secretariat is headquartered in Jakarta. In 2016, Canada opened a dedicated mission to ASEAN and appointed its first dedicated Ambassador to ASEAN.

In 2023, ASEAN-Canada relations took an important step forward with the launch of the ASEAN-Canada Strategic Partnership – an important signal of Canada’s growing relationship with ASEAN and presence in the Indo-Pacific region.

Through this Strategic Partnership, Canada is deepening its relationship with ASEAN, including through cooperation in three main areas: political-security, economic, and socio-cultural.

As of 2025, Canada has fully accredited diplomatic missions in 10 ASEAN Member State countries.

The Indo-Pacific Strategy and ASEAN 

Canada launched its Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS) on November 27, 2022, enhancing engagement in diplomacy, trade, defence, security, the environment and development assistance in the region for the next decade. The Indo-Pacific region spans 40 countries and economies, including all ASEAN Member States, and the IPS outlines Canada’s approach to strengthening regional cooperation, advancing shared priorities, and deepening partnerships across the Indo-Pacific. This vision includes deepening the relationship with the ASEAN region as a priority. Canada’s IPS affirms ASEAN centrality and supports the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific.

Our political and security cooperation 

ASEAN is at the heart of Asia’s regional security architecture. Canada and ASEAN support international law and are committed to working together to support peace, stability and prosperity in the region. Canada continues to expand defence and security engagement with ASEAN. Canada’s engagement in the region is strongly aligned with ASEAN’s Outlook on the Indo-Pacific. Security collaboration is an area of focus for the ASEAN-Canada Strategic Partnership.

Canada is a founding member of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), a key regional platform to promote stability and security. Canada leverages its participation in the ARF to advocate for our regional security interests across a range of themes. As part of these efforts, Canada will support five important events in 2026:

• The Inter-sessional Meeting on Information and Communications Technology Security (ISM on ICTs) alongside the Philippines.
• The 17^th ARF Open-Ended Study Group on CBMs to Reduce the Risk of Conflict Stemming from the Use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs), alongside the Philippines.
• An ARF Workshop on Lessons Learned in Governance of Security and the Use of ICTs, alongside Thailand and Japan.
• An ARF Workshop to Support Victims of Terrorism, alongside the Philippines.
• The Heads of Defence Universities, Colleges and Institutions Meeting (HDUCIM) in 2025, alongside Cambodia.

Canada also contributes to practical cooperative initiatives that aim to foster dialogue, and advance preventive diplomacy:

• Canada is supporting security assistance with funding of $50M over five years in the Indo-Pacific region, including ASEAN Member States, to combat against transnational organized crime and international terrorism. Cooperation is essential to addressing cross-border threats.
• Canada participates in the annual ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting on Transnational Crime.
• Canada is an observer in two ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting-Plus Experts’ Working Groups; Maritime Security, and another on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief.
• Canada has collaborated with ASEAN on the Mitigation of Biological Threats (MBT) in the ASEAN Region Program for over a decade. Now in Phase III (2024-2028), the MBT is a $36M CAD initiative that strengthens regional health-security capabilities to prevent, detect and respond to natural, accidental or deliberate biological threats. Canada’s support includes strengthening the ASEAN Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Network,enhancing the ASEAN Biological Threats Surveillance Centre (ABVC) and advancing critical biosafety, biosecurity and disease surveillance initiatives.
• Canada also supported the development of the ASEAN Leaders’ Declaration on Strengthening Regional Biosafety and Biosecurity, adopted in October 2024. This Declaration commits ASEAN countries to strengthening biosafety and biosecurity through eight commitments. This includes enhancing multi-sectoral cooperation, establishing an ASEAN Biosafety and Biosecurity Network and developing sustainable laboratory infrastructure. Canada continues to support efforts to develop a Plan of Action to operationalize the Declaration’s commitments.

Quick facts

• Canada has been a long-standing partner of ASEAN on defence and security issues. It is also proud to be a founding member of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF).
• As an active member of the ARF, Canada actively attends meetings and hosts and chairs workshops as a part of its regional commitments.
• Through the Indo-Pacific Strategy, Canada will deliver CAD $47 million in security assistance over the next five years. This funding will help to combat transnational organised crime and international terrorism in the Indo-Pacific region.
• Canada is an Observer in two ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus Experts’ Working Groups: (1) Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief and (2) Maritime Security.
• In 2024, Canada’s Mitigation of Biological Threats Program celebrated 10 years of collaboration with ASEAN. The program builds ASEAN’s capacities to prevent, detect, and respond to all manner of biological threats while strengthening regional and global health security.
• Canada continues to invest in the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Agenda in ASEAN: in 2025, Canada supported the development of the Localisation Toolkit and Guidelines for the ASEAN Regional Plan of Action, provided financial support for the 2025 ASEAN WPS Summit in Kuala Lumpur, and is also providing $6.6 million in capacity-building support through the Department of National Defence to advance WPS in ASEAN.
• Through the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives, Canada has supported ASEAN organizations like ASEAN Foundation, ASEAN Institute for Peace and Reconciliation (AIPR), and the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) to deliver training and workshops on youth empowerment, gender equality, and peace and security.
• Launched in 2022, Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy sets out to advance five strategic objectives—from security and trade to sustainability and regional engagement. It reflects Canada’s commitment to deepening partnerships that create shared prosperity with Indo-Pacific economies and contributes to a secure future for people on both sides of the Pacific.

Our trade and investment

ASEAN is one of the world’s fastest-growing economic regions. Canada’s trade and investment in Southeast Asia is expanding quickly—not only in value, but across many sectors, including:

• Critical Raw Minerals
• Clean technologies
• Agriculture and agri-food
• Information Communication Technologies
• Financial services
• Aerospace
• Infrastructure
• Consumer goods

As a group, ASEAN Member States represented Canada’s fourth largest merchandise trading partner in 2024.

Negotiations toward a possible free trade agreement

On November 16, 2021, Canada and ASEAN agreed to negotiate an ASEAN-Canada Free Trade Agreement (ACAFTA). Such an agreement will enhance our commercial relations, strengthen our presence in this fast-growing market and help create new market opportunities for Canadian goods and services. It would also support a more transparent and predictable environment for trade and investment.

Chief Negotiators have met multiple times since the launch in November 2021. Consistent with Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy and Strategic Partnership with ASEAN, the FTA negotiations are a priority initiative. They contribute to the renewal and deepening of Canada’s commercial engagement across the Indo-Pacific region and reinforce Canada’s commitment to trade diversification. A completed, comprehensive FTA will allow for inclusive and sustainable economic growth for ASEAN members and Canada.

Public consultations on a possible free trade agreement

From September 1 to October 16, 2018, the Government of Canada conducted public consultations through the Canada Gazette to seek the views of Canadians on a possible FTA with ASEAN. Comments were collected in a number of ways, including in writing, by email, and through in-person meetings and teleconferences. While the official consultation period has closed, we remain committed to hearing from Canadians on a possible FTA with ASEAN.

Joint Declaration on Trade and Investment

Canada and ASEAN are party to the ASEAN-Canada Joint Declaration on Trade and Investment (JDTI) (2011). The JDTI provides a platform for Canada and ASEAN Member States to exchange information on trade and investment opportunities and strengthen commercial engagement.

At the fourteenth ASEAN Economic Ministers – Canada Consultation in September 2025, participants endorsed a new 2021-2025 Work Plan to implement the JDTI, building on existing achievements and further advancing economic cooperation between ASEAN and Canada. Canada and the ASEAN Member States meet up to 3 times a year to review the progress made against this Work Plan.

Support for Canadian businesses in the ASEAN region

The Canadian Trade Commissioner Service has offices in Canadian missions in 10 ASEAN Member States. This network of trade experts works in direct support of Canadian companies active in the region, providing advice and recommendations.

The Canada-ASEAN Business Council (CABC), based in Singapore, is an industry association focused on increasing private sector links between Canadian and ASEAN businesses.

On January 15, 2024, the CABC was officially accredited by ASEAN. As an ASEAN-accredited entity, the CABC has increased access to ASEAN’s regional networks, resources, and opportunities. This will further strengthen its role of a key agency supporting business ties between Canada and the region.

To further support Canadian businesses in the region, the Government of Canada has several initiatives including:

• Organizing Team Canada Trade Missions (TCTMs) to the region. With successful TCTMs to Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines in 2024, and to Thailand and Cambodia in May 2025, these large-scale trade missions are strengthening Canada’s ties with ASEAN Member States and reinforcing Canada’s presence in the region. Canada also sent business delegations to Singapore and Brunei in 2025. These missions promote commercial exchanges and help build long-term, mutually beneficial partnerships between Canadian and ASEAN Member States organizations.
• Establishing new Export Development Canada offices in Jakarta, Indonesia; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Manila, the Philippines; Bangkok, Thailand; a FinDev Canada office in Singapore, as well as Canada’s first Indo-Pacific Agriculture and Agri-Food Office in Manila, Philippines. These offices further support Canadian companies doing business in ASEAN markets.
• Appointing Paul Thoppil as the first Canadian Indo-Pacific Trade Representative (CIPTR) in September 2023.

Quick facts

• Together, ASEAN Member States have the third-largest population in the world (686 million-and growing in 2024)
• If ASEAN were one economy, it would be the fifth largest in the world. It would have a combined nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of US$4.0 trillion (2024).
• Southeast Asia is one of the world’s fastest-growing economic regions, with an estimated real GDP growth rate of 4.8% for 2024, and a projected 4.3% economic growth in 2025 (Asian Development Bank).
• As a group of countries, the 10 Member States of ASEAN represent Canada’s fourth-largest merchandise trading partner (2024).
• In 2024, Canada-ASEAN bilateral merchandise trade reached $42.3 billion, an increase of 9.3% compared to 2023.

Our international development assistance 

Canada and ASEAN share a longstanding partnership in development cooperation. Since 2000, Canada has provided $5.6 billion in development assistance to the ASEAN region. This includes regional and bilateral assistance to ASEAN and in ASEAN Member States as well as through multilateral organizations.

ASEAN’s economic prosperity has increased in recent years. Poverty has declined, life expectancy has increased, and levels of education and literary rates have increased. The ASEAN region continues to make progress on the Sustainable Development Goals.

However, key challenges remain including:

• income inequality;
• enduring areas of poverty;
• increasing frequency and strength of natural disasters;
• transitioning to a low-carbon economy; and,
• gender inequality.

ASEAN regional development program

Canada’s development assistance to the region helps strengthen the regional policy agenda. It supports ASEAN institutions, organizations, and networks in addressing shared regional development priorities. 

Canada’s international assistance aligns with the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and the ASEAN-Canada Plan of Action. Under this plan, Canada and ASEAN work together in areas of mutual interest, such as political and security support, economic growth, and socio-cultural and sustainable development cooperation.

The ASEAN regional development program works with many ASEAN partners. This includes: the ASEAN Secretariat, ASEAN Member States, stakeholders, and other donors, and all ASEAN Member States. Key regional development initiatives include:

• To date, the $14 million Scholarships and Educational Exchanges for Development (SEED) has supported 816 students from the ASEAN region to complete short-term studies or research in Canada. Their fields are relevant to ASEAN’s efforts to narrow the development gaps and reduce poverty in Southeast Asia.
• Empowering Women for Sustainable Peace: Preventing Violence and Promoting Social Cohesion in ASEAN focuses on strengthening the Women, Peace and Security agenda. The $8.5 million project is working to prevent violence against women and to promote greater social cohesion by developing expertise across the ASEAN region. This is part of Canada’s third National Action Plan (NAP) on Women Peace and Security, launched in March 2024 and concludes activities in December 2025.
• ASEAN Protection, Resilience and Inclusion for Multi-Hazard Emergencies (ASEAN-PRIME) and ASEAN Building Regional Resilience through Anticipatory Action and Civil Society Empowerment (ASEAN-BRACE). The two initiatives, worth $7 million, are helping to build the capacity of ASEAN to increase gender equality and climate integration in disaster management governance as well as build important ties with civil society in addressing disaster risk and resilience initiatives. This work aims to strengthen the region’s preparedness for extreme weather events and disasters, to increase its resilience to climate change.
• The ASEAN-Canada Plan of Action Trust Fund is supporting activities that strengthen cooperation between ASEAN and Canada on shared priorities to close development gaps among ASEAN Member States. An $11.7 million initiative implemented by the ASEAN Secretariat, the Trust Fund provides technical assistance, services, training, research and inclusive economic development activities such as in the sectors of energy, digital and food security. It also supports the participation of least developed ASEAN countries in the ASEAN-Canada Free Trade Agreement negotiations.
• The OECD Southeast Asia Regional Programme (SEARP) is a $2 million initiative to support Canada’s three-year (2025-2028) co-chairship of the SEARP, with the Philippines as the other co-chair. The SEARP assists ASEAN Member States by facilitating policy reforms aligned with OECD standards and ASEAN regional integration efforts to address economic and development challenges.

Quick facts

• Canada continues to welcome a growing number of international students from the ASEAN region. There were over 70,500 study permit holders from ASEAN countries in Canada at the end of 2024, representing an increase of 100% since 2019.
• Canada has bilateral development programs in Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines and Vietnam.

Our office

Mission of Canada to ASEAN in Jakarta, Indonesia

The Mission of Canada to ASEAN in Jakarta is the primary channel for diplomatic representation and communications between the Canadian government and the ASEAN.

Related links

• The Canada Fund for Local Initiatives
• ASEAN Human Rights Declaration
• Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy