Former Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau believes Canada should seek closer ties with South Korea. According to him, the two countries could help each other increase their influence in the strategically important Indo-Pacific region.
“At a time when geopolitical dialogue tends to be dominated by superpowers, prosperous middle powers like Korea and Canada have things to say that are worth listening to,” Mr. Garneau said in an interview.
“We have the potential to work together and, in a coordinated way, to have a greater voice on the global stage,” he added.
Mr. Garneau will next month be named Canadian co-chair of the Canada-Korea Forum, a group dedicated to boosting trade and scientific exchanges between the two countries.
Thriving relationship
His appointment comes at a time when Ottawa and Seoul say they have never been closer, with both launching Indo-Pacific strategies that call for deeper engagement with Pacific Rim countries to reduce their dependence on China.
Both plans notably aim to form better partnerships with democracies committed to a low-carbon world and respect for rules intended to prevent rogue states like North Korea from encroaching on sovereign borders.
In recent weeks, auto giant Stellantis began hiring staff for a future electric vehicle battery factory in Windsor, Ontario, a joint venture with Korean company LG Energy Solution. Korean and Canadian companies have also joined forces to announce plans to build two separate factories in Bécancour, Quebec, for the components used to make these batteries.
Meanwhile, South Korea has expressed its desire to import more food products and liquefied natural gas from Canada, especially as it is concerned about China and Russia restricting access to energy and food products.
It’s all part of a burgeoning trade relationship that has deepened since the two countries signed a trade deal nearly a decade ago.
While Canadian exports to South Korea have generally focused on essential minerals and wood pulp, aviation simulators, real estate investments and financial services have recently been added to the list.
“We are looking in detail at areas where we can benefit from each other in terms of trade, so that they can have more reliable supply chains and we can have more trade opportunities,” said the former liberal minister.
“We want to move up a gear,” added Mr. Garneau, who was the first Canadian citizen to go into space.
Stand together
The ex-minister argued that Ottawa should push to be part of a security agreement that Washington hammered out last month with Japan and South Korea.
The two share a difficult history and complicated relationship, given Japan’s former colonization of Korea. Yet they find themselves increasingly cooperating in the face of the disruptive governments of neighboring China and Russia.
This is why the United States has developed a three-pronged strategic partnership with Tokyo and Seoul. Mr. Garneau argues that Ottawa should join them.
“I think from the Korean perspective, they would like Canada to get involved in this as well, and I think that’s in our interest as a North Pacific country,” he said. The four of us have so much in common that it would be great to explore them. »
Mr. Garneau has only been to South Korea three times, but he said he views the country as a global heavyweight for producing Samsung, LG and a vibrant K-pop music scene.
Mr. Garneau helped draft Canada’s Indo-Pacific strategy and said he is encouraged to see it leading to more diplomatic activity in the region.
But recent tensions with India show the need for a range of ties, he said, adding that Global Affairs Canada still needs to fill gaps in Asian expertise within its teams.
Strengthening this will require not only training diplomats in the region’s languages and cultures, but also how to conduct high-level visits, Garneau said, particularly those related to historical milestones.
“It is now time for Canada to turn its gaze and its attention to the Asian continent, to the Indo-Pacific. Because it’s literally the most dynamic region in the world. We are already in the century of the Indo-Pacific,” says Mr. Garneau.