That is a super question.
I look at Japan as the canary in the coal mine in terms of how to deal with the challenges within the region, in particular China, and how to not only manage engagement, but also build resilience into the relationship and deterrence. At the same time, Japan has the most nuanced policies towards Southeast Asia.
In the context of how Canada engages with Japan, there are some real opportunities to learn from Japan. We can build some synergies into our policies of how we engage with Southeast Asian countries bilaterally but also through ASEAN.
In Southeast Asia, a country-by-country approach is important, but we have to recognize that ASEAN moves as a whole. If we want to have credibility, we have to recognize ASEAN centrality within the region.
Japan has done this exceptionally well, and they do it through soft means of building infrastructure, connectivity, business investments and trade agreements. It's a really good platform for how we're engaging within the region.
I have met with China. It's not a zero-sum relationship with China. They engage. They have a $300-billion trade agreement every year. It's by and large equal. They have huge difficulties as well, but they're wise enough to try to balance. We can learn from how Japan is managing.
Where do we head in the next four or five years? I see stability in the Japanese political system. I see that they are willing to invest in defence, in resilience and in partners that want to build strong ties. Energy security and critical minerals security are going to be huge places for Canada and Japan to build synergies. Our government has already been doing this, but there's a lot more that we can do in terms of Japan and Canada.
Mr. Oliphant, it's too simplistic—