Thank you for the question. I'm Peter Lundy, director general of the Indo-Pacific strategy secretariat at Global Affairs Canada.
On the diplomatic front, I think the general has outlined some of the recent successes. It was really a triumph of diplomacy over many years to get the strategic partnership with ASEAN across that particular finish line. It's that demonstration of commitment to the partners in the region that's so important to move forward.
As you look to implement the types of initiatives that the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces are undertaking, a lot of diplomatic groundwork needs to happen in advance. At some point, depending on the state of the relationship, you may need certain types of MOUs and legal agreements. In order to put those in place at the time that you need them, that requires, absolutely, Canadian diplomacy.