Thank you very much, Madam Chair and honourable members.
My name is Arun Alexander. I am the associate deputy minister for trade policy and negotiations at Global Affairs Canada, and also the chief negotiator with the Canada-Indonesia CEPA negotiations.
It is indeed a pleasure to appear before you today.
Now and in the coming years, the prosperity, security and well-being of Canadians will be increasingly linked to economic, social and political developments in the Indo-Pacific region. The global economic centre of gravity is shifting in that direction, and decisions made there will increasingly affect Canada's place in the world.
It is also a region where the rules-based international order is under pressure. Upholding and expanding support for international rules has become all the more important in the context of growing challenges to sovereignty, democracy and human rights, as we have all seen with the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. Maintaining open, transparent and rules-based trade is critical to Canada's national interests, prosperity and values, and will be key, especially in the Indo-Pacific region.
The Indo-Pacific presents Canada and Canadian businesses with many opportunities but also some challenges. In parts of the region, economic nationalism and protectionism have intensified during the pandemic. COVID-19 has also exposed vulnerabilities in the complex global supply chains that flow through that region. Of course, the reality of China's market heft, growing influence and deep economic integration with the region cannot be ignored.
For Canadian businesses, the Indo-Pacific is a relatively distant market where competition can be fierce. Doing business in the region is further complicated by market, non-market, cultural and linguistic barriers that Canadians do not face when trading closer to home, but the opportunities and rewards are also immense. The region is developing rapidly. There are markets for Canadian raw materials, agriculture and agri-food products, manufactured goods and services. The region accounts for over half of the global population, and by 2030, it's expected to account for two-thirds of the global middle class.
Against this backdrop, Canada has developed a new approach to the Indo-Pacific aimed at intensifying and diversifying our engagement in the region. This work aligns directly with the Prime Minister's mandate to the Minister of Foreign Affairs to develop and launch a comprehensive Indo-Pacific strategy, the adoption and release of which is undergoing consideration by the government.
Building on our existing people-to-people, trade and investment ties, Canada will be seeking to deepen our engagement in the region, including on the economic front. This will support the government's trade diversification strategy and promote more resilient global supply chains. Our existing FTAs and new FTA initiatives in the region will be critical to this approach.
Canada already has significant trade agreements in the region with the Canada-Korea FTA and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, or CPTPP. Canada also has five foreign investment promotion and protection agreements in force with Indo-Pacific economies—namely, China, Hong Kong, Mongolia, the Philippines and Thailand.
We also have a strong trade commissioner presence in the region to help Canadian businesses benefit from these agreements. There are 373 trade commissioners in 49 locations in the Indo-Pacific region, representing 39% of all TCS resources outside of Canada. The trade commissioner service also has five Canadian technology accelerators and two global mentor programs in the region.
Canada has an opportunity to build on this foundation. To this end, Canada has launched trade negotiations with ASEAN and Indonesia; resumed negotiations with India; is exploring new FIPAs, including with Taiwan; and is looking to expand membership in the CPTPP. These initiatives will lay the foundation for greater economic engagement in the Indo-Pacific region.
I am joined here today by Jay Allen, director general, trade negotiations; Weldon Epp, director general, north Asia; Peter Lundy, director general, southeast Asia and Oceania; Emmanuel Kamarianakis, director general, investment, innovation and education; and Steven Goodinson, director general, trade commissioner service operations.
My colleagues and I look forward to your questions and to discussing Canada's initiatives in the region with you.
Thank you very much.