Minister Ng advances Canada’s trade priorities at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting

May 19, 2024 - Arequipa, Peru - Global Affairs Canada

This week, the Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development, participated in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting in Arequipa, Peru. The meeting’s theme was Empower, Include, Grow.

While at the APEC meeting, Minister Ng emphasized the importance of the rules-based multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core. She encouraged APEC partners to move forward on outstanding priorities outlined at the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference, including those related to dispute settlement, fisheries subsidies, investment facilitation for development and WTO reform.

She highlighted Canada’s ongoing efforts to deepen ties with countries in the Indo-Pacific region, citing its collaboration with APEC member economies to promote strong and inclusive growth that benefits everyone across the region. These efforts include enhancing trade networks through digital advancements.

During a meeting of the APEC Business Advisory Council, ministers and private sector executives discussed potential solutions to support businesses—including small and medium-sized enterprises—to succeed in international trade. 

Minister Ng and her Peruvian counterpart, Minister Elizabeth Galdo Marin, also issued a joint statement on the 15th anniversary of the Canada-Peru Free Trade Agreement, which underpins the strong trade relationship between Canada and Peru. The ministers noted that this year marks the 80th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Canada and Peru, an outstanding milestone for the 2 countries.

On the margins of the APEC meeting, Minister Ng hosted a breakfast with ministers of member economies of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) to discuss progress made on Canada’s priorities and set goals for the CPTPP Commission meeting in the fall. They also discussed ways to make the CPTPP work for as many people as possible, including those who have been traditionally under-represented, such as women and Indigenous Peoples.

Minister Ng noted that, as the commission’s 2024 chair, Canada is working to ensure that the CPTPP remains at the cutting edge of trade policy to build a brighter future for member economies. She also highlighted Canada’s progress on the General Review of the CPTPP, which aims to address challenges and adapt the agreement to global changes.

Minister Ng reiterated Canada’s commitment to helping women entrepreneurs overcome obstacles and discover opportunities in global markets. She spoke about opportunities to empower women in trade and highlighted the many ways Canadian programs and Global Trade and Gender Arrangement initiatives are helping make international trade more inclusive and sustainable. She also highlighted Canada’s Women Entrepreneurship Strategy and SheTrades, an International Trade Centre initiative, which support women in trade. The meeting ended with a joint declaration endorsed by all partners.

In a series of bilateral meetings, Minister Ng spoke with Elizabeth Galdo Marín, Peru’s Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism; Tim Ayres, Australia’s Assistant Minister for Trade; Zulkifli Hasan, the Republic of Indonesia’s Minister for International Trade; Dato Dr. Amin Liew, Brunei Darussalam’s Minister of Finance and Economy; Mr. Allan Gepty, Undersecretary for the International Trade Group (ITG) of the Philippines, Japan’s State Minsiter Tatsunori Ibayashi, and Thailand’s Trade Representative and Advisor to the Prime Minister, Dr. Nalinee Taveesin and to advance Canada’s interests on trade and investment issues.

Throughout her meetings, Minister Ng condemned Russia’s illegal and unjustifiable war of aggression against Ukraine, which has had significant economic and trade impacts globally, including by exacerbating supply-chain issues, energy and food insecurity, and high inflation.