September 16, 2023 – While participating in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia in early September, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and invited him to visit Canada in 2024 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Canadian-Filipino diplomatic relations.
The two highlighted the strong history between Canada and the Philippines and bilateral relations between the two nations since establishing diplomatic ties in 1949.
At the same meeting, Trudeau also announced plans for a Team Canada Trade Mission to the Philippines in 2024. He also thanked Marcos Jr. for his support of the ASEAN-Canada Strategic Partnership and provided an update on the implementation of Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy.
Trudeau and Marcos Jr. discussed the Russia-Ukraine war and the severe impact the conflict is having on food security in the region. They also commented on their respective commitments to the rule of law and to regional security and international law in the South China Sea as well as the importance of freedom of speech and protecting democracy.
Canada and the Philippines are currently negotiating a free trade agreement in the context of the Canada-ASEAN free trade agreement (FTA) negotiation.
Last year, Canada and the Philippines established the Joint Economic Commission aimed at “deepening trade relations between Canada and the Philippines and building stronger economic linkages in the Indo-Pacific.”
About the Author
Rachel Ramos-Reid started writing for magazines and newspapers when she was still a junior at the University of the Philippines’ Communication degree program majoring in Journalism. She continued to write in a public relations/corporate communications capacity in various private and government offices until moving out of the country in 1997 to work as Programme Officer for the arts and culture branch of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO-SPAFA) in Bangkok, Thailand. At the end of her term, Rachel found herself immigrating to Canada in the year 2000 and again searching for new beginnings. Currently she is the Executive Assistant to a small rural college on Vancouver Island.
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