Canada this Sunday, November 27 presented a C$2.3 billion envelope for its economic and diplomatic strategy in the Asia-Pacific region where Ottawa hopes to rise “authentic and reliable partner” against China.

To strengthen its presence and influence in the Asia-Pacific region, Ottawa plans to strengthen its military capabilities in the Pacific, including deploying a frigate, developing trade and investment, and providing assistance “feminist foreign aid”, infrastructure financing “consistent” and strengthening Canada’s diplomatic network, according to a State Department press release.

Canada wants to be an “authentic and reliable partner”.

“The future of the Indo-Pacific is ours; we have a role to play in the design. To do this, we have to be a real and reliable partner.” among Western allies, the head of Canada’s diplomacy, Mélanie Joly, argued in this press release.

“This strategy sends a clear message: Canada is present in the region and will stay here,” she insisted.

This roadmap aims to do that “to deepen our engagement in the Indo-Pacific over the next 10 years and to increase our contribution to peace and security in the region”, refers to the document.

This strategy will be presented after a tour of the region by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mélanie Joly, who attended several summits: that of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Phnom Penh in Cambodia, that of the G20 in Bali Indonesia and the Economic Cooperation Forum in Asia Pacific (APEC) in Bangkok.

Compete with China

Canada, at odds with China, does not hide the fact that its strategy for the region was formulated in response to Beijing’s influence.

“There is a fundamental problem with the fact that China currently does not respect international standards and tries to change or interpret them for its own benefit.” Minister Joly told Quebec daily La Presse. “Doing business in China carries a geopolitical risk”, she pointed out.