Canada-China Relations committee  I would second Professor Fitz-Gerald's confidence in the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. It's too early to tell. There's been a lot of heightened engagement. However, judging from previous experience, the proof will be in the pudding. We don't know yet how long this is going to last and whether it will last into future administrations.

Canada-China Relations committee  Thank you very much. Canada is a services economy. We focus way too much on goods and have such expertise. We have amazing financial services firms, life insurance and so on, which are very active in Asia. From my studies on Canadians in Asia, in terms of companies and software analytics, we have many great tech companies that are very active there.

Canada-China Relations committee  There are many different ways to approach this problem. I don't know whether any of them are going to have the necessary effect or if we're too late on some of them. What I'm concerned about is that China is still the second-largest economy in the world, and it has very impressive research capabilities.

Canada-China Relations committee  I'm speaking at an event in a couple of weeks in Toronto, because Minister Mary Ng is taking a delegation to Vietnam. You can look at trading and investment patterns. Having worked in Vietnam, I know that, yes, it's a communist country, but in terms of the opportunities for Canada there, they are real.

Canada-China Relations committee  Thank you very much for this excellent question. I think Canada and the United States have agreed to disagree on some of the sovereignty issues. We seem able to collaborate and co-operate without having agreed on the actual territorial boundaries. The U.S. is not a signatory to UNCLOS, as I understand.

Canada-China Relations committee  I will just add that the second pillar of AUKUS should be of interest to Canada, and I am hoping that will be followed up on. I would also add, though, that we have a lot of capacity in things like training and the soft aspect, as mentioned earlier, of defence diplomacy in a way.

Canada-China Relations committee  Thanks very much. I think ASEAN is really critical. The reason is that when you're looking at how trade patterns are evolving, a lot of countries are adding additional manufacturing capacity in ASEAN. A lot of companies have a “China plus one” strategy, and ASEAN is benefiting from that.

Canada-China Relations committee  Thank you very much. I would agree with everything that's been said, but I notice that when you're looking at trade missions, you often have universities and community colleges on those missions. I think there are a lot of universities with strengths in the Indo-Pacific. Last week I taught a class at U of T for which the students were in India.

Canada-China Relations committee  In my response, I was referring in particular to Canadians who are already in Asia. We have a lot of Canadians in all the major markets. My personal experience and that of others confirm that, unlike some other countries—I wouldn't say competitors—with large diasporas, we don't do nearly enough to take advantage of the people who are already on the ground.

Canada-China Relations committee  Thank you very much. I would like to add that I've seen a demonstration from Maersk. They obviously have a system of their own. I entirely agree that one of our biggest challenges is countering China's activity in the digital sphere. I have written about this. I think one thing Canada should be doing—we can't do it alone—is aligning with other partners.

Canada-China Relations committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you this evening. I would like to focus my remarks on three major themes. First, while the announcement of Canada's Indo-Pacific strategy was welcomed by many stakeholders, Canada should make every effort to ensure its implementation and even go further in order to reverse its flagging reputation as a reliable partner.