Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is to attend the 49th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Manila and advance talks on Ottawa’s upcoming trade deals with the bloc and the Philippines.
The Office of the Canadian Prime Minister on Thursday said Carney “will aim to conclude negotiations” on the new Canada-Philippines free trade agreement (FTA), which is expected to triple bilateral trade between the two countries by 2035.
The prime minister, it added, will work to finalize the ASEAN-Canada free trade agreement, seen to unlock exports of more than CAD3.5 billion.
“Canada has what the world wants: the energy, the resources, the talent, the technology, and the capital. We are building our strength at home and diversifying our partnerships abroad. Canada is boldly unleashing our enormous potential, and we are just getting started,” Carney said.
Canada and the Philippines officially launched negotiations on a bilateral FTA in 2025 to sign the deal by the end of the year.
Last July, Carney and President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. reaffirmed this commitment to conclude the talks early during their meeting in Vancouver. Among Canada’s top imports from the Philippines are electronics and machinery, while its major exports are mineral ores, meat, cereals, aerospace parts, and fertilizers.
Carney’s participation in the ASEAN summit this month marks his first visit to the Philippines since taking office.
In 2025 alone, two-way merchandise trade between Canada and ASEAN totaled CAD52.5 billion, up 23.7 percent from 2024. (PNA)