Canada to beef up trade with Asia

Canada to beef up trade with Asia

OTTAWA (AFP): Canadian Foreign Minister Andre Ouellet leaves for a tour of Asia this month in a major Canadian initiative to improve relations with the Asia/Pacific Rim region.

The foreign minister's visit will be followed up in November with a tour to China, Hong Kong, Indonesia and possibly one other country by Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien.

Ouellet is to visit Japan July 18-21, South Korea July 21-24, Thailand July 25-27, China July 28-31 and Hong Kong August 1-2.

While in Thailand, Ouellet will attend two meetings organized by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand).

On July 25, ASEAN will be hosting the first-ever ministerial meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), bringing together the ASEAN six and foreign ministers from Australia, Canada, China, Russia, the United States, South Korea, Japan, Laos, New Zealand, Papua-New Guinea, Vietnam and the European Union.