Canada, Brazil announce $540M for rainforest protection project

Detailed summary

Ottawa is continuing talks for a trade deal with ASEAN, while Canada also has deeper agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has wrapped up a brief visit to the Philippines and is heading to Cambodia, as the government pushes for more trade access in the region.

On his one-night visit to Manila, Carney attended a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, announced the conclusion of free-trade negotiations with the Philippines and unveiled funding for protecting tropical rainforests.

“What Canada presents is certainty to the world,” Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu told reporters in Manila on Sunday, which was late Saturday in Canada.

Carney was among foreign leaders including U.S. President Donald Trump who were invited to the summit by the Philippine chair, who is holding the rotating presidency of ASEAN, a bloc of 11 countries.

Ottawa is continuing talks for a trade deal with ASEAN, which Sidhu said would give Canada access to smaller countries, while Canada also has deeper agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines.

“You can get more into the weeds. You can upgrade later on, when you’re dealing with (one deal that is) bilateral, as opposed to an agreement with 11 partners,” he said in Manila on Sunday, which was late Saturday in Canada.

“It’s the fastest growing region in the world, 700 million consumers, an economy valued at $6 trillion.”

Sidhu also expressed confidence for Canadian pork producers, as the Philippines moves toward restricting pork imports from a wide array of countries, including Canada.

“They’ve got a global safeguards investigation … for 60 days. Canada is not the culprit, and you’ll find out once the investigation is done,” he said.

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