PHNOM PENH: Prime Minister Hun Sen, the 2022 ASEAN Chair, has expressed appreciation for Canada's proposal to enhance ASEAN-Canada Dialogue Relations to the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership through negotiations on the ASEAN-Canada Free Trade Agreement.

At a bilateral meeting on Saturday, 12 November 2022, Prime Minister Hun Sen said that enhancing ASEAN-Canada relations to the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership is a step in the right direction for promoting closer ASEAN-Canada relations.

The ASEAN Chair stressed that the recent opening of negotiations on the ASEAN-Canada Free Trade Agreement is a positive first step, which will promote economic recovery in both regions in a sustainable and resilient manner after the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, hopes that this agreement will help create opportunities for further deepening cooperation in the digital economy and advanced technology between ASEAN and Canada.

Prime Minister Hun Sen stated that for the past 45 years, ASEAN has been committed to a common aim of upholding peace, stability, and prosperity in both regions. He added that the long-term partnership between ASEAN and Canada has brought outstanding achievements in all fields and made significant contributions to addressing regional and global challenges, especially in improving the well-being and livelihoods of the people.

ASEAN-Canada Dialogue Relations were established in February 1977 after the first official meeting between the Secretary of State of Canada for Foreign Affairs and the ASEAN Standing Committee. In 1981, the ASEAN-Canada Economic Relations Agreement was signed, laying the foundation for industrial, trade, and technical cooperation between the two sides.

In 2020, trade between ASEAN and Canada amounted to US $16.2 billion, and foreign direct investment from Canada into ASEAN was US $5.1 billion.