KUALA LUMPUR — Prime Minister Mark Carney is on a mission to sell Canada as a stable, rules-based trading partner in Southeast Asia, presenting the country as a dependable alternative amid shifting global trade dynamics and renewed turbulence from Washington.
Carney heads to Malaysia for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, hoping to deepen economic ties and attract investment that will support his government’s nation-building agenda and ambitious plan to double Canadian exports beyond the U.S. within the next decade — an increase of roughly $300 billion in trade.
The outreach comes at a sensitive moment. Just a day after Carney outlined his export diversification strategy, U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly suspended trade talks with Canada, lashing out over Ontario’s anti-tariff ad campaign that aired on American networks. Trump told reporters he has “no plans” to meet Carney at the ASEAN summit, dismissing the ad as “crooked” and “possibly AI-generated.”
Despite the diplomatic chill from the U.S., business leaders say Canada’s profile in Southeast Asia is rising. Wayne Farmer, president of the Canada-ASEAN Business Council, said the region views Canada as “a reliable, stable partner” that’s serious about strengthening commercial relationships after decades of focusing primarily on development aid.
Carney will attend the summit at the invitation of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, with whom he’s set to discuss green energy and critical minerals during a bilateral meeting on Monday. His itinerary also includes meetings with Malaysia’s central bank, a major oil and gas firm, and a visit to an aerospace facility in Kuala Lumpur.
Farmer praised the Carney government’s proposed major-projects legislation, which aims to fast-track approvals for large-scale infrastructure projects deemed in the national interest. “We’ve made things incredibly complicated in Canada to invest into,” he said. “The new tone is promising — but the proof will be in execution.”
Experts say the ASEAN region — home to some of the world’s fastest-growing economies — offers Canada huge opportunities in energy, agriculture, and technology. Vina Nadjibulla of the Asia Pacific Foundation said Canada’s expertise in fortified grain development, clean energy, and agricultural research can help ASEAN nations strengthen food and energy security as they pursue economic resilience in a volatile global environment.
Malaysia is already a partner in LNG Canada, and its second phase — LNG 2 — is among the projects Ottawa plans to prioritize for accelerated approval. Canada also hopes to leverage its experience in nuclear energy, with countries such as Vietnam and Malaysia exploring the technology as part of their long-term energy strategies.
Kai Ostwald, director of the Institute of Asian Research at UBC, noted that Canada’s foreign policy outlook aligns well with ASEAN’s collective approach to regional security. “Like most Southeast Asian nations, Canada isn’t large or powerful enough to shape global geopolitics alone — but it thrives by working collaboratively within multilateral frameworks,” he said.
Negotiations between Canada and ASEAN are nearing completion for a free trade agreement, expected to be signed in early 2026, alongside a renewal of their five-year cooperation plan, which expires at the end of this year.
As Carney positions Canada in the Indo-Pacific sphere, his message is clear: while others turn inward or transactional, Canada is betting on trust, partnerships, and predictability — the very qualities global markets are craving.