OTTAWA – Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand is headed off to Japan and Malaysia as the Carney government shapes its diplomatic and trade approach to the Indo-Pacific region.
Anand will meet with her Japanese counterpart in Tokyo this week as the two finalize an agreement on sharing defence information and boosting trade.
On Thursday and Friday, Anand will take part in a meeting with the Association of South East Asian Nations, or ASEAN, in Malaysia.
Canada is looking to sign a trade deal with the ASEAN bloc this year, and in 2023 entered into a strategic partnership with the bloc that’s expected to lead to business expansion, educational exchanges and projects combating biological threats.
Anand’s visit comes ahead of this fall’s ASEAN leader’s summit in Malaysia, which Prime Minister Mark Carney says he will attend.
Carney has largely focused on defence, security and trade ties with European nations in his first months in office, though he did sign a deal with Australia for an Arctic radar system.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 7, 2025.
