Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s visit to Canada highlights the growing relationship as Ottawa aims to engage with middle powers and make its mark in the Indo-Pacific. Marcos is in the Canadian capital for a four-day trip that began on Wednesday, where he will meet Prime Minister Mark Carney to discuss enhancing cooperation on trade, labor, energy, and tourism, as well as improving defense and maritime partnerships. Included in this agenda are Canadian business leaders and investors looking into opportunities in areas like mining, information technology, business process management, telecommunications, nuclear energy, and financial services. Marcos will also connect with the overseas Filipino community in Vancouver, which has one of the largest concentrations of Filipinos in Canada. This visit comes as Ottawa seeks to strengthen connections with Asian middle powers – Japan’s Sanae Takaichi and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are also set to meet Carney later this year. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr salutes military honor guards at a ceremony marking the 79th founding anniversary of the Philippine Air Force at Villamor Air Base on Wednesday. Photo: EPA “The Philippines is an important place to begin because it is where Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy has arguably had its greatest impact,” Vina Nadjibulla, vice-president for research and strategy of the Asia Pacific Foundation Canada, wrote in an article posted on the foundation’s website on Monday.
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