By Canadian Press

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau headed to Laos for ASEAN Summit

Oct 8, 2024 | 10:41 AM

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is travelling to Laos today to take part in the ASEAN Summit.

Canada is not a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, but has a strategic partnership with ASEAN and is hoping to conclude a trade deal with the 10-nation bloc by the end of next year.

Canada and Indonesia are also working toward a trade deal that’s set to be signed by the end of this year.

The trip marks the first official visit to Laos by a Canadian prime minister and Trudeau is set to meet with leaders from several member nations during the summit.

Together, the ASEAN countries represented Canada’s fourth-largest trading partner in 2023 when it comes to merchandise trade.

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The summit begins on Thursday and Trudeau is set to travel to Germany on Saturday for a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, which will be chaired by U.S. President Joe Biden.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2024.

Nojoud Al Mallees, The Canadian Press