Canada and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) 

Canada became an Association of Southeast Asian Nations dialogue partner in 1977 and is one of 11 partners with this designation. In September 2023, ASEAN and Canada launched a Strategic Partnership for further collaboration in strategic areas of mutual interest through a Joint Leaders' Statement during the ASEAN-Canada Summit. 

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Our relations

ASEAN is a regional intergovernmental organization comprising 10 member states, and an observer state, Timor-Leste. Established by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand in 1967, it was later joined by Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar and Vietnam.

The objectives of ASEAN are to:

• Speed up economic growth, social progress and cultural development;
• Promote regional peace and stability, respect for justice and the rule of law; and
• Increase collaboration across a range of economic, social, cultural, technical, scientific, and administrative spheres.

The ASEAN Secretariat, located in Jakarta, Indonesia, and led by a Secretary-General, coordinates the work of ASEAN member states and their associated bodies. The ASEAN Secretariat is also responsible for coordinating ASEAN’s relationship with external partners, including Canada.

Canada became an ASEAN dialogue partner in 1977 and is one of 11 partners with this designation. Dialogue partners cooperate with ASEAN on political and security issues, regional integration, economic interests, transnational crime and counterterrorism, disaster risk reduction, and other areas.

In 2009, Canada appointed an ambassador to ASEAN and adopted the Joint Declaration on the ASEAN-Canada Enhanced Partnership. In 2016, Canada opened a dedicated mission to ASEAN and appointed its first dedicated ambassador to ASEAN. Canada has diplomatic representation in all 10 ASEAN member states.

Our Indo-Pacific Strategy and ASEAN

We launched Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS) on November 27, 2022, guiding Canada’s diplomatic, trade, defence, security, and development assistance approach to the region for the next decade. Per Canada’s IPS, the Indo-Pacific spans 40 countries and economies, encompassing all 10 ASEAN member states. Canada’s approach to the region is underpinned by our vision of a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific, with ASEAN at its core. Canada’s IPS supports ASEAN centrality and contributes to the implementation of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific.

Our Strategic Partnership

On September 6, 2023, Prime Minister Trudeau participated in the ASEAN-Canada Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia. During the Summit, ASEAN and Canada launched a Strategic Partnership, welcoming a new chapter in the ASEAN-Canada relationship. Establishing the ASEAN-Canada Strategic Partnership recognizes Canada’s expanded presence and growing collaborative relationship with ASEAN, in alignment with Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy and our mutual interests.

Through the new Strategic Partner status, Canada will deepen ASEAN-Canada cooperation under the ASEAN pillars of political-security, economic, and socio-cultural.

Our trade and investment

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

• Extractives
• Clean technologies
• Agriculture and agri-food
• Financial services
• Aerospace
• Infrastructure
• Consumer goods

As a group, ASEAN member states represented Canada’s fourth largest merchandise trading partner in 2023.

Negotiations toward a possible free trade agreement

On November 16, 2021, Canada and ASEAN agreed to proceed with negotiations toward an ASEAN-Canada Free Trade Agreement (FTA). To enhance our commercial relations and strengthen our presence in this fast-growing market, Canada is committed to negotiating a comprehensive free trade agreement with ASEAN. This potential agreement would help create new market opportunities for Canadian goods and services, while supporting 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 IPS and Strategic Partnership with ASEAN, the FTA negotiations are a valuable initiative. They contribute to the renewal and deepening of Canada’s commercial engagement across the Indo-Pacific region. 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 e-mail, and through in-person meetings and teleconferences. While the official consultation period has closed, the Government of Canada remains 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 to strengthen commercial engagement. This includes providing security assistance to ASEAN member states helping to achieve ambitious economic integration goals. This contributes to regional peace and security and promotes Canadian foreign policy objectives in Southeast Asia.

Canada and the ASEAN member states meet three times a year to review the progress on the realization of cooperation activities under the 2021-2025 Work Plan to implement the ASEAN-Canada Joint Declaration on Trade and Investment.

Support for Canadian businesses in the ASEAN region

The Canadian Trade Commissioner Service has offices in Canadian diplomatic missions in each of the 10 ASEAN member states. This network of trade and investment promotion experts works in direct support of Canadian companies active in the region, providing advice and problem-solving. In Southeast Asia, trade commissioners are active in many sectors, including:

• aerospace
• defence and security
• extractive industries
• information and communications technologies
• infrastructure
• sustainable technologies
• clean technology
• education

The Canada-ASEAN Business Council (CABC), based in Singapore, is an industry association focused on advocacy and on increasing private sector linkages among Canadian and ASEAN businesses. On January 15, 2024, the CABC received official accreditation with 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.

Quick facts

• Together, ASEAN member states have the third-largest population in the world at around 679 million-and growing (2023).
• If ASEAN were one economy, it would be the fifth largest in the world with a combined nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of US$3.8 trillion (2023).
• ASEAN is one of the world’s fastest-growing economic regions, with an estimated real GDP growth rate of 4.3% for 2023 and 4.7% (projected) for 2024 (Asian Development Bank).
• As a group of countries, the 10 member states of ASEAN represent Canada’s fourth-largest merchandise trading partner (2023).
• In 2023, Canada-ASEAN bilateral merchandise trade reached $38.7 billion.

Our international assistance 

Canada and ASEAN share a longstanding partnership in development cooperation. Since 2000, Canada has provided $4.4 billion in development assistance to the ASEAN region. This amount includes regional and bilateral assistance to ASEAN and ASEAN member states as well as through multilateral organizations.

As the world’s fifth-largest economy, ASEAN is a dynamic and growing region that continues to make progress toward achieving Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals. In the ASEAN region, poverty has declined, life expectancy has increased, levels of education and literary rates have increased, and per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has also increased. Overall, the ASEAN region continues to make progress on the Sustainable Development Goals.

However, key challenges include:

• Income inequality
• Enduring areas of poverty
• Increasing frequency and strength of natural disasters
• Difficulties with transitioning to a low-carbon economy
• Gender inequality

ASEAN regional development program

In the context of Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy and the Indo-Pacific Strategy, Canada’s international assistance to the region helps strengthen the regional policy agenda and reinforces ASEAN institutions, organizations, and networks in addressing shared regional development priorities. 

Canada’s international assistance is in line with the ASEAN community-building objectives and the ASEAN-Canada Action Plan (2021 to 2025). Under this plan, Canada and ASEAN are building on the progress made under the previous plan and pursuing areas of mutual interest, including in political and security, economic, socio-cultural and sustainable development cooperation. 

The ASEAN regional development program includes the following development priorities: 

• Growth that works for everyone: Canada aims to help strengthen market-driven entrepreneurship, skills and knowledge, support increased labour mobility, and increase leadership on demand-driven initiatives to support inclusive economic growth in the ASEAN region.
• Gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls: Canada seeks to build capacity for the implementation of the convention for the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women and support the empowerment of women and girls in ASEAN.
• Climate change and disaster resilience: Canada is strengthening its support for the region to address climate change and increase its preparedness for extreme weather events and disasters.

The ASEAN regional development program works with ASEAN stakeholders, including the ASEAN Secretariat, ASEAN member states, partners, and donors in all ASEAN member states. Key ongoing bilateral development initiatives include:

• To date, Scholarships and Educational Exchanges for Development has supported 616 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 gap and reduce poverty in Southeast Asia.
  • For more information on scholarships and the application process, please visit Canada-ASEAN Scholarships and Educational Exchanges for Development.
• Strengthening the Rights of ASEAN Migrant Workers – a $9.5 million initiative that aims to harmonize labour migration governance frameworks in the ASEAN region to maximize the protection of migrant workers and their contributions to equitable and inclusive growth in the region.
• 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.
• The $2 million ASEAN, Protection, Resilience and Inclusion for Multi-Hazard Emergencies (ASEAN-PRIME) initiative helps to build the capacity of ASEAN to improve gender mainstreaming in disaster management governance mechanisms and strengthens the region’s disaster resilience.
• The ASEAN-Canada Plan of Action Trust Fund supports activities that promote cooperation between ASEAN and Canada on shared priorities. A $1 million initiative implemented by the ASEAN Secretariat, the Trust Fund also supports the participation of least developed ASEAN countries in the ASEAN-Canada Free Trade Agreement negotiations hosted by Canada.

Quick facts

• In addition to the regional development program, Canada has bilateral development programs in Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines and Vietnam.
• Canada continues to welcome a growing number of international students from the ASEAN region. There were more than 75,000 study permit holders from ASEAN countries in Canada at the end of 2023, representing an increase of 115% since 2019.

Our political and security cooperation

ASEAN is at the heart of Asia’s regional security architecture. Canada continues to expand its defence and security engagement with ASEAN member states to promote international law and uphold a rules-based international order. Canada and ASEAN have a shared vision for a peaceful, stable and prosperous region. This can be seen in the alignment between Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy and ASEAN’s Outlook on the Indo-Pacific. Under the ASEAN-Canada Strategic Partnership, we are working together to enhance cooperation in maintaining peace, security and stability. 

Canada actively supports ASEAN’s political-security mechanisms. As an ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) founding member, Canada advocates for our regional security interests in a number of important areas. Canada also contributes to practical cooperative initiatives that aim to foster dialogue, and advance preventive diplomacy.

Canada has served as an observer to the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting-Plus (ADMM+) Experts’ Working Groups (EWGs) on Maritime Security and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), contributing Canadian experience and expertise in these areas.

Since 2013, Canada has partnered with ASEAN and ASEAN member states to prevent, detect and respond to biological threats (whether natural, accidental or deliberate) that pose serious risks to the security and safety of:

• its member countries
• the broader region
• Canada and Canadians

The Mitigation of Biological Threats in the ASEAN Region Programme is a prominent part of Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy. 

Quick facts

• Canada is a founding member of ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), established in 1994.
• In 2023, Canada hosted a series of Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) dialogues with ASEAN, in line with ASEAN’s Regional Plan of Action on Women, Peace, and Security.
• Canada collaborates with ASEAN member states and the ASEAN Secretariat on the Mitigation of Biological Threats Programme (MBT). MBT is an initiative that aims to strengthen regional health-security capabilities to manage all manner of biological hazards, whether natural, accidental or deliberate in origin ($36 million since 2013).
• Phase III of the MBT Programme was announced by the Prime Minister at the ASEAN Summit in September 2023 as a key deliverable under the “Security Partnerships” pillar of the IPS and was officially launched in March 2024.
• Canada’s support for ASEAN in mitigating biological threats proved valuable during the pandemic and supported the global response to COVID-19. This support includes: strengthening ASEAN’s Emergency Operations Center Network and the ASEAN BioDiaspora Virtual Centre.

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.

News

List of official Government of Canada news releases, statements and media advisories related to the ASEAN.

Related links

• The Canada Fund for Local Initiatives
• ASEAN Human Rights Declaration