Excellency and Distinguished Colleague,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

On behalf of my ASEAN colleagues, let me first of all extend a cordial welcome to you, Mr. Minister, and to the distinguished members of your delegation, at this annual session of the ASEAN- Canada dialogue. I should also like to congratulate you on your recent appointment as Secretary of State for External Affairs of Canada. Both officially and personally, I look forward to working closely with you in giving further impetus and substance to the constructive cooperative relationship which so happily exists between ASEAN and Canada.

At this meeting we shall have the opportunity to exchange views on a wide range of political and economic issues of common concern and interest and to review ASEAN- Canada relations in particular.

As the Coordinating Country, Indonesia had the honour of hosting the Eighth ASEAN-Canada Joint Cooperation Committee Meeting last April during which we had wide-ranging and constructive discussions in a friendly and positive atmosphere. The JCC Meeting reaffirmed the commitment of ASEAN and Canada to building a relationship which is not only mutually beneficial but of long-term relevance and value as well. We can take encouragement from the progress that has been achieved so far.


Excellency,

Cooperation between ASEAN and Canada is now entering its eleventh year ever since the Economic Agreement became effective in 1982. During that period, ASEAN and Canada have achieved substantial progress in their cooperation for socioeconomic development. ASEAN appreciates the continuing efforts of Canada in developing responsive development cooperation programmes and projects in the area of science and technology, agriculture and forestry, sustainable development and the enhancement of human resources.

With respect to trade, economic cooperation and investment promotion, despite the persistence of certain outstanding problems, there have been some significant improvements as a result of various measures we have taken to make the ASEAN economies more attractive to Canadian investors.

The concerns of ASEAN countries in their trade relations with Canada particularly relate to market access and the need to improve Canada's General Preferential Tariff (GPT) Scheme. In this connection, we are pleased to note that Canada, at the Jakarta JCC Meeting, indicated that it will take into consideration ASEAN requests for improvement in its GPT Scheme in the course of the scheduled programme review in 1994.

Despite such encouraging developments, we have to acknowledge that there is still ample room for growth in ASEAN-Canadian trade relations. In terms of value, ASEAN trade with Canada has grown from US$ 3 billion in 1991 to US$ 4 billion in 1992. It, however, still represents a small percentage of Canada's global trade. The balance of trade has always been in Canada's favour.

The import control list, quotas, anti-dumping and countervailing measures, the Packaging and Labelling Act as well as the Food and Drugs Act which were initiated by Canada have had an adverse effect on ASEAN exports. We earnestly hope that Canada will continue to find ways by which ASEAN exports can improve their access to the Canadian market.

'The growth and expansion of international commodity trade has been hampered by a growing protectionist trend in markets where they would otherwise be competitive, by unfair trade practices and agricultural subsides, and most lamentably, by disinformation campaigns waged against such exports as tropical timber and palm oil products. The economies of the developing countries have been severely affected by these practices. Furthermore, depressed prices of certain major commodities have also impeded the development and trade in commodities in the developing countries. In this regard, ASEAN and Canada need to work closely to resolve problems relating to depressed commodity prices, farm subsidies and campaigns against tropical timber.

In reviewing our development cooperation which is the most important element in ASEAN- Canada cooperation, I note that a number of projects under the ASEAN-Canada Development Cooperation Programme have been successfully implemented. We are particularly pleased that the 15 courses under the Short-Term Component will be completed by the end of 1993. We appreciate Canada's funding of ASEAN projects on Telecommunications Management and Spectrum Management. The Canada-ASEAN Centre in Singapore continues to play an active role in facilitating the implementation of projects designed in accordance with the priorities established at the Singapore Summit last year.

ASEAN is gratified to note that Canada's disbursements for ASEAN projects are expected to reach a record high of Cdn $10.5 million for the year 1992/1993 compared to Cdn$4.9 million last fiscal year. We are happy to observe that due emphasis has been given to the funding of human resources development projects. This reflects Canada's deep understanding of the ASEAN countries' perception of their own requirements for development.

The signing of the new ASEAN-Canada Economic Cooperation Agreement at this PMC is expected to pave the way for a broader and more intensive cooperation between ASEAN and Canada and will constitute another step towards a new phase in ASEAN-Canada cooperation. In this respect, I am happy to note that Canada has responded positively to the ASEAN request for the inclusion of provisions on the role of the private sector in the Agreement. A strong linkage between our respective private sectors will ensure a deepening of our mutually beneficial economic relationship.


Excellency, Distinguished Colleague,

ASEAN welcomes the decision reached at the Eighth ASEAN-Canada JCC Meeting in Jakarta last April to embark upon new policy directions in development cooperation in the 1990s. We do believe that there is a need to develop new policies so that our cooperative efforts and pooled resources could be shifted to address more strategic regional issues, especially in the area of economic and development cooperation.

In conclusion, I should like to reaffirm ASEAN's commitment to closer cooperation with Canada and to move together in contributing to the balanced economic growth and long-term stability of the Asia-Pacific region. We in ASEAN look forward to working with Canada in exploring new areas of cooperation while intensifying our current endeavours.

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