By Hugh Stephens
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper can’t seem to keep away from Asia these days. He has a decade of relative neglect to make up for.
After having virtually ignored Asia for the first 5 years of his tenure, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper (and his ministers) now can’t seem to stay out of the region.
He’s back this month for his second visit in two months, with a visit to Thailand, Japan and South Korea from March 23 to 27, accompanied by his foreign minister, as well as the international trade, agriculture and international development ministers.
Just as with his visit to China in February, trade will feature prominently in this visit, with Thailand preparing to pitch Canada on its role as an entry point to ASEAN. It would be surprising if Harper didn’t also seek Thai views on developments in Burma, given Foreign Minister John Baird’s visit there earlier this month. Whether Thailand is really ready to commit to a free trade negotiating process with Canada remains to be seen given their foot-dragging on a free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States, which was eventually put on the shelf.
Read the full story at The Diplomat