Trudeau lays down challenge to companies in bid to boost trade with Asia
SINGAPORE — Canadian companies doing business with a bloc of Asian nations need to stick around and do the hard work of building trade ties even after the ink dries on any government-struck trade deals, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in laying down the challenge Tuesday.
Speaking to a room of Canadians already invested in the region and local companies interested in investing in Canada, Trudeau tried to frame Canada as an isle of political, social and economic stability in the world — noting the ease to get a visa for top tech talent relative to the longer times in the United States.
It was Trudeau’s first event after landing in Asia. It sets the stage for what the Liberals hope will be a clearer picture of how to pursue freer trade with a 10-nation bloc of major suppliers and customers, which includes Singapore.
Many members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are experiencing robust population growth, and their consumer classes are expanding more quickly than in the rest of the world.