Canadian expert highlights Vietnam as attractive strategic partner    15:49                 Luis Silva, a Canadian expert on government relations, has highlighted Vietnam as an attractive strategic partner for Canada amid stronger economic co-operation bringing about benefits to both countries. Vietnam is seen as an attractive investment destination in the region. The ongoing visit to Indonesia and Vietnam from April 9 to April 14 by Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly has captured the attention of Canadian experts, as well as of Canadian firms amid Ottawa building a multi-billion CAD Indo-Pacific strategy. This plan aims to diversify trade and investment activities, not only within Asia but also beyond the Pacific Rim, while simultaneously increasing its contributions to ensuring security and international support for the region as a whole. He described the visit to Vietnam by Foreign Minister Melanie Joly as a sign which demonstrates Canada’s recognition of the great importance of the need to reinforce bilateral relations with Vietnam. Earlier this year, both nations established the Joint Economic Commission (JEC) which aims to promote greater economic and trade co-operation between the two countries. Statistics indicate that the Canadian economy is heavily dependent on international trade, although trade's share as part of Canada's GDP fell from 65% in 2016 to 60% in 2021. Furthermore, Vietnam represents a growing market for trade and investment in Southeast Asia. The main purpose of the Canadian FM's visit to the country at this time is to highlight the longstanding bilateral relationship as both sides move towards the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties ahead in 2023. Trade relations between the two has enjoyed continuous development despite the pandemic, with trade turnover in 2021 exceeding US$6 billion, up 19% compared to 2020. Canada is among the top five destinations for overseas study for Vietnamese students, while Vietnam currently ranks first in Southeast Asia and is in the top five globally for international students in the North American country. Silva went on to express his belief that bilateral co-operation will continue to develop in the future. Sharing this viewpoint, David Johnson, director of the Canada-Vietnam Trade Council, said that amid the Vietnamese pursuit of a safe, flexible adaptation strategy, and effective control of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Vietnamese economy will begin to recover and start to trade again. Indeed, investment activities will serve as a mean of strengthening the supply chain between Vietnam and Canada. Canadian businesses therefore anticipate the visit to Vietnam by Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly will contribute to deepening the relationship between the two countries across a variety of fields, especially economics, investment, and people-to-people exchanges. As Canada's largest trading partner in ASEAN since 2015, the country will be hugely important to Canada's Indo-Pacific strategy, the Canadian expert affirmed. According to Johnson, there are several reasons for Canadian firms to strengthen their relations with Vietnamese partners. This includes Vietnamese strengths in manufacturing, electronics, garments, and textiles, along with other consumer goods which have allowed Canadian companies to diversify their supply sources. Canadian businesses can look to Vietnam as a member of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) to gain access to the wider Asia-Pacific region, he noted. Observers believe that the trip to Southeast Asia by Foreign Minister Joly shows that Ottawa desires a new integrated approach to the Indo-Pacific region in a bid to diversify Canadian participation and deepen diplomatic, economic, security, and sustainable development partnerships. VOV