Canadian PM looks to advance ties with Vietnam

Ottawa (VNA) – Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau said on November 2 that he expects to meet with Vietnam’s leaders to advance various important issues.

“Canada and Vietnam’ relationship is anchored in strong people-to-people connections and has expanded greatly in the last forty years,” Trudeau said.

“I look forward to meeting with Vietnam’s leaders to advance important issues like good governance and human rights, strengthen our bilateral trade and investment cooperation, and create more opportunities for our middle class,” he noted.

The Canadian PM made the statement ahead of his upcoming trip to Vietnam and the Philippines from November 6-14, according to the PM’s Office.

PM Trudeau will pay an official visit to Vietnam, during which he is scheduled to meet with leaders of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), State, Government and National Assembly.

The Canadian leader will then head to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s southern metropolis where he is due to meet with Vietnamese business leaders and participate in an armchair discussion at Ton Duc Thang University.

Finally, he will travel to the central city of Da Nang to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Week, aiming to promote Canada as a partner of choice for trade and investment in the region, and deepen economic cooperation with APEC economies.

After the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week, Justin Trudeau will travel to the Philippines to attend the 31stAssociation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Manila. While at the Summit, the PM will take part in the Canada-ASEAN Commemorative Summit to review relations between Canada and the ten ASEAN countries and identify areas where they can increase collaboration.

He said he will bring to the events the message that “Everyone, including women, youth, and Indigenous Peoples, should have the opportunity to benefit from the opportunities that flow from the global economy.”

“Canada will continue to promote a progressive trade agenda that benefits the middle class and look for more opportunities to engage in the Asia-Pacific region,” he said.

Vietnam and Canada established diplomatic ties in 1973. Since 2015, Vietnam has become Canada’s largest trade partner in ASEAN, with two-way trade reaching 5.5 billion CAD in 2016. -VNA