The federal government on Sunday unveiled Canada’s long-awaited strategy for the Indo-Pacific, which calls for an investment of nearly $2.3 billion in the region over the next five years. The central principle of the plan consists in “acting in the interest of Canada, while defending our values”, announced the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly.
In other words, Canada distances itself from the Middle Kingdom. China is “an increasingly disruptive global power”, which “actively seeks to reinterpret these rules to derive greater advantage”, can we read in the strategic plan of about thirty pages.
Although power is “inseparable” from the broader Indo-Pacific strategy, according to the Trudeau government, it expresses at first sight Canada’s desire to diversify its relations with other players in the region, such as India. , Indonesia, Japan and South Korea.
The roadmap is built around five main goals: peace, supply chain resilience, human and women’s rights, climate change, and increasing Canada’s presence in the world. . They were presented by Minister Joly, accompanied by the Minister of International Trade, Mary Ng, the Minister of International Development, Harjit S. Sajjan, and the Minister of Public Safety, Marco Mendicino.
A political shift
“This desire to diversify our relations with this neglected region of the world, to compensate for the aggressive power of China in recent years, is a reorientation of [la politique canadienne] “explains in an interview the former journalist Jean-François Lépine, who was representative of Quebec in Beijing.
Canada first wishes to increase its military presence, particularly its naval presence, in the Indo-Pacific region with an investment of $492.9 million. Another envelope of $47.3 million will be earmarked for the launch of a new initiative to strengthen the cybersecurity capacities of certain regional partners.
However, although China has become a “disruptive power” on a global scale in recent years, adds Mr. Lépine, “we must learn to have relations where we are capable of being critical of [elle]while continuing to work with the Chinese on issues of common interest”.
Canada will cooperate in this direction with the world power “to find solutions to global problems such as climate change, loss of biodiversity, global health and nuclear proliferation”, according to the strategic plan.
Focus on economy and development
Political scientist Dominique Caouette, affiliated with the Center for Asian Studies at the University of Montreal, salutes in passing the “exhaustive and comprehensive reading” that the government is doing of this region, which includes six of Canada’s 13 main trading partners.
In order to increase trade and investment, Canada will invest $240.6 million, which will be used in particular to create the Canadian Trade Gateway in Southeast Asia and Canada’s first agricultural office in the region.
Canada will also invest in strengthening ties between Canadians and the peoples of the Indo-Pacific, whose diasporas are very present in the country, said Mr. Caouette. $74.6 million will be used to consolidate Canada’s visa processing capacity within the centralized Canadian network, as well as in New Delhi, Chandigarh, Islamabad and Manila. Another envelope of $143.3 million will be allocated to strengthening the Canadian diplomatic presence.
To the list of numerous investments to which the federal government committed on Sunday is added $750 million to strengthen the development of sustainable infrastructure. This initiative, according to Mr. Caouette, comes from an intention to counterbalance the weight of China with its famous initiative “New Silk Road”. — a vast Chinese marshall plan to intensify its links with the countries of the Indo-Pacific region by helping them to invest in their infrastructures.
As much for Canada as its partners, we want to “give ourselves alternatives to China to be less dependent,” adds Mr. Lépine.
Mr. Lépine, like Mr. Caouette, nevertheless wishes to point out that the Indo-Pacific strategy is not surprising. “That’s what I always blame the Trudeau government for: we follow. We follow the Americans who made this process of reflection long before us and in the name of the same reasons. »
The two experts are at the very least unanimous: “it’s finally done”.
“Today will be remembered as Canada’s re-engagement in the Indo-Pacific region,” concludes Mr. Caouette.