Yes.
Thank you for your comment, and thank you for reading my writing. It's good to know that somebody is.
I make a distinction between having economic goals as part of our foreign policy objectives and coming up with tools to achieve those objectives that can go beyond economic instruments. It's understandable that we are driven largely by economic interests, and our Asian counterparts understand that. However, the way in which we achieve our economic objectives has to be done through a variety of measures. For example, we need to have a very strong diplomatic presence and a strong political security presence in the region where our partners understand that we are there not simply for our economic benefit, but for the peace and security of the region and the advancement of development goals, particularly in the developing countries.
A great example, I think, would be in the area of international education, where the government, of course, is making some moves to strengthen two-way movement of students. This is not simply about a commercial initiative where we gain more dollars from foreign students who pay high fees at our Canadian schools. It is about building long-term relationships, institutional partnerships, research partnerships that will benefit both countries in the long term.
On your specific question of taking part in regional organizations, I think that it's part of the thinking that I have as well. There are a number of new regional fora in Asia, particularly the East Asia Summit, which is emerging as the premier organization for discussions on political security and economic issues. It's not a trade agreement. It does not have an ostensible commercial objective to it. But we should aspire to join it, because if we are not part of that club of decision-makers on the future of the region, we will be left out of decisions that will impact on our economic interests. I know the government is making some moves to join. We should redouble our efforts and try to find a seat at that table and at other tables in Asia that, as I say, may not necessarily have an overt economic focus.