The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada is pleased to share a video presentation of its October 21, 2020 international dialogue, China in Asia: Implications for Canada.
China in Asia features three distinguished panellists, each from a different region of the globe and each offering unique perspectives on the Asia Pacific’s current geostrategic state of affairs, China’s global presence, and the challenges and opportunities middle powers like Canada face in the region. Our presenters are:
- Theresa Fallon, Founder and Director, Centre for Russia Europe Asia Studies (CREAS), Brussels
- Bilahari Kausikan, Chairman of the Middle East Institute, NUS and Former Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore
- Vikram Singh, Senior Advisor to the Asia Program at the United States Institute of Peace, Washington, DC
Background
The Asia Pacific is in a state of flux. Tensions between the U.S. and China are testing the region’s existing institutions and leading to informal state groupings, such as the Quad. The Trump administration is advocating for a ‘decoupling’ from China that could result in regional spheres of influence where middle powers, such as Canada, are forced to choose sides. China, in turn, is seeking a return to great power status in Asia and is willing to use coercion, in some instances, to increase its influence. Within these already fluid dynamics, the global COVID pandemic is fostering nationalism and xenophobia within some Asian states. In a region that prioritizes stability, such trends point to a potential for short- to medium-term tensions.
Hear from our panellists how Canada must navigate these challenges to ensure its national interests within the Asia Pacific, and how it can learn from other states’ strategic views and foreign policy approaches to Asia as it charts its own strategic path.
