Canada advances trade talks on agreements with India, ASEAN, and the Philippines
Canadian Minister Maninder Sidhu will visit Mumbai to boost trade ties with India. He will meet with Piyush Goyal to advance economic partnership agreement negotiations. Sidhu will then travel to Manila for ASEAN economic minister consultations. Discussions will focus on advancing free trade agreements with ASEAN and the Philippines. Canada aims to significantly increase exports to markets beyond…
Canada’s Minister of International Trade, Maninder Sidhu, is set to travel to Mumbai, India, on September 18 and 19 to bolster trade and investment ties with India. The visit will include meetings with Piyush Goyal, the Minister of Commerce and Industry, and other officials to discuss advancing negotiations for a comprehensive economic partnership agreement between Canada and India. Additionally, Sidhu will participate in outreach efforts to promote Canada's trade interests in the region.
Following his visit to India, Sidhu will attend the Fifteenth Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Economic Ministers-Canada Consultation in Manila, Philippines, from September 21 to 22, 2026. During this event, he will engage with ASEAN partners to further negotiations for a Canada-ASEAN free trade agreement and with Filipino counterparts to advance discussions for a Canada-Philippines free trade agreement.
Canada and India have successfully completed three rounds of negotiations for a comprehensive economic partnership agreement, setting the stage for a fourth round this week. Both nations have expressed a shared goal of concluding the negotiations by the end of 2026. Canada aims to double its exports to non-U.S. markets over the next decade, with the goal of achieving $70 billion in two-way trade with India by 2030.
In 2025, the two-way trade between Canada and India amounted to $30.4 billion, with $13.6 billion in merchandise trade. The Philippines ranked as Canada's sixth-largest merchandise export market in ASEAN, with Canada's merchandise exports to the country totaling $3.4 billion in 2025, up from $3.2 billion in 2024. Exports to the Philippines were valued at $1.1 billion in 2025 (compared to $1.4 billion in 2024), while imports from the Philippines reached $2.3 billion in 2025 (up from $1.8 billion in 2024).
In 2025, Canada-ASEAN bilateral merchandise trade reached $52.5 billion, marking a 23.7% increase from $42.4 billion in 2024, reflecting the region's growing significance as a key trade partner for Canada.
Written by urgent.news from The Economic Times - Economy's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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