The Fifth Meeting of ASEAN - Canada Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) was held in Ottawa on 7 - 8 April 1988. The Meeting discussed the international economic situation and regional economic issues covering topics such as Canada - US Free Trade Agreement, the Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations and the Economic Summit of the Seven Industrialized Nations to be held in Toronto in June 1988. The Meeting also reviewed ASEAN - Canada Dialogue Relations and the Commercial and Industrial Cooperation between ASEAN and Canada.

ASEAN was concerned that the Canada- US Free Trade Agreement (FTA) would have far reaching implications for countries trading with Canada and the US. Canada assured ASEAN that the FTA would with be fully compatible with GATT, that the FTA and MTN are complementary and mutually reinforcing, and that it would lead to a stronger economy in Canada and the US thereby offering opportunities to trading partners of both countries. Canada also confirmed that ASEAN would be welcome to consult with Canada under existing mechanism to redress any possible prejudice resulting from the FTA.

ASEAN and Canada exchanged lists of priority issues of interest under the Uruguay Round of MTN. They stressed the need for closer cooperation and the importance of making every effort to ensure that real progress was made at the Mid-Term Review on the Uruguay Round to be held in Montreal in December 1988. Both sides agreed that senior trade officials of ASEAN and Canada should meet sometime in October 1988 to have further consultation on the Mid-Term Review and other international trade policy issues.

ASEAN presented through Canada, the host of the Economic Summit of the seven major industrialized countries in Toronto in June 1988, an ASEAN Memorandum urging the industrialized countries to adopt measures to redress the deteriorating international economic situation.

Reviewing the progress made in ASEAN - Canada Dialogue Relations, both sides reaffirmed the need for closer cooperation. They also recognized the great potential in enhancing cooperation in the economic sector as well as in the field of development cooperation.

ASEAN and Canadian delegations met with a delegation from the ASEAN - Canada Business Council (ACBC) at the Fifth JCC Meeting. A wide-ranging discussion was held on trade and other economic issues of interest to the ASEAN and Canadian private sector. Both the delegations from ASEAN and Canada agreed that the participation of the ACBC at the Meeting had increased the ASEAN and Canadian officials' awareness of the private sector's interests, particularly on the vital role the private sector could play in increasing trade and investment between ASEAN and Canada.

ASEAN and Canada agreed that trade and industrial development was important for their future growth and hence, there were more that ASEAN and Canada could do to identify and overcome barriers that had impeded the flow of two-way trade and investment. In this regard, Canada was informed of the major improvements to the ASEAN Preferential Trading Arrangements (PTA), ASEAN Industrial Joint Venture (AIJV) and other decisions taken at the Third ASEAN Summit held in Manila in December 1987. Canada was requested to alert its business interests to the opportunities in ASEAN which had become more attractive as ASEAN market was becoming less fragmented and more regional in character after the Summit.

During the Fifth JCC Meeting in Ottawa, a Memorandum of Understanding on the ASEAN - Canada Forest Tree Seed Centre (Phase II) was signed. Under this arrangement, Canada would contribute C$ 9.35 million to the centre covering a period of five years.

For more information, please refer to the project details