In this first episode of Kakehashi Conversations, Alexander Treasure, a former APF Canada Research Scholar for Northeast Asia, sits down with three-time Olympic Foil Fencer champion Eleanor Harvey. Eleanor competed at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, bringing home a bronze medal in the individual foil event and helping Team Canada place fourth in the Women’s Foil Team event. She looks back on her competitive fencing career and her time in Japan, sharing with Alex how she defines her success and continues to push barriers in women’s sports.

In this episode of Asia Pacific Conversations, Vina Nadjibulla, APF Canada’s Vice-President Research & Strategy, looks back at the key developments and lessons in Canada-Asia relations from 2024. And she dusts off her crystal ball to discuss the critical themes, key countries, and big trends we’ll be watching at APF Canada in 2025. Hosted by our Communications Director Michael Roberts, this first podcast episode of 2025 touches down on Trump 2.0 and the implications of the new U.S. administration for Canada and Asia. It explores political instability and the changing nature of international trade and globalization, discusses continuing conflict on the high seas and competition in space, the Arctic, and the AI realm, and provides insights into Canada’s future relations with China and India in the coming year.

Southeast Asia boasts a population of 660 million and, as a region, represents Canada’s fourth-largest merchandise trading partner, with trade reaching $40.7 billion in 2022. In this episode of Asia Pacific Conversations, APF Canada’s Program Manager, International Trade & Investment, Anastasia Ufimtseva, chats with Noel Navin, the Director of International Sales (Southeast Asia) for Agropur. Agropur is a dairy co-operative based in Québec and represents some 3,000 dairy farmers and producers in the province. Ten years ago, Agropur established a sales office and innovation centre in Southeast Asia, with headquarters in Singapore. In this podcast episode, Noel discusses the challenges and successes of his company’s journey into Asia that began a decade ago.

India is a rising regional and global power and a champion of peace and security across the Indo-Pacific. Its growing economic might and strategic influence place India in a unique position as it navigates expanding great power rivalries at its doorstep and beyond. India is also currently in the late stages of its 2024 national elections (April 19 to June 1), the largest in world history with nearly one billion people eligible to cast their ballots. Against this backdrop, in APF Canada’s latest episode of Asia Pacific Conversations, The RAND Corporation’s Senior Defence Analyst Derek Grossman chats with the Foundation’s Vice-President Research & Strategy Vina Nadjibulla about India’s rise and influence. They discuss the elections and their potential outcomes, including for Canada. They explore India’s policy of strategic autonomy and the South Asian giant’s geopolitical dance between the U.S., China, and Russia. And they evaluate India’s domestic and foreign policies, including the current irritants and strains in Canada-India relations.

As international attention has turned to the devastating wars in Europe and the Middle East, the escalating civil war between the military junta and pro-democracy forces in Myanmar rages on. Since the military seized power in a February 2021 coup d’etat, tens of thousands of people have been killed, and some 2.5 million people have been displaced as the junta attempts to thwart a growing civilian resistance. In this episode of Asia Pacific Conversations, recorded on the sidelines of our May 18 townhall discussion in partnership with the University of B.C.'s School of Public Policy and Global Affairs (Institute of Asian Research), UBC Myanmar Initiative, and Canada's International Development Research Centre, APF Canada’s Vice-President Research and Strategy Vina Nadjibulla talks with Aung Myo Min, Minister of Human Rights with the National Unity Government, Myanmar’s government in exile. __ Alors que l’attention internationale se tourne vers les guerres dévastatrices en Europe et au Moyen-Orient, l’escalade de la guerre civile entre la junte militaire et les forces pro-démocratiques au Myanmar fait rage. Depuis la prise du pouvoir par les militaires lors d’un coup d’État en février 2021, des dizaines de milliers de personnes ont été tuées et quelque 2,5 millions d’autres ont été déplacées, la junte tentant de contrecarrer la résistance civile grandissante. Dans cet épisode de Conversations Asie-Pacifique, enregistré en marge de notre discussion ouverte du 18 mai en partenariat avec la School of Public Policy and Global Affairs (Institute of Asian Research) de la University of B.C., la UBC Myanmar Initiative et le Centre de recherches pour le développement international du Canada, Vina Nadjibulla, vice-présidente de la recherche et de la stratégie de la FAP Canada, s’entretient avec Aung Myo Min, ministre des Droits de la personne au sein du gouvernement d’unité nationale, le gouvernement en exil du Myanmar.

In this special episode of Asia Pacific Conversations, Santiago Alba-Corral, Director of the International Development Research Centre’s Climate Resilient Food Systems Program, discusses the ongoing work of this Canadian institution in supporting research and researchers in developing countries to find solutions to the “global challenges of humanity.” Santiago – a key speaker and participant at the Climate Solutions conference that was part of APF Canada’s Canada-in-Asia Conferences in Singapore in February 2024 – discusses what he sees as the two major global challenges of the current era: increased inequality and the climate crisis. With 47 active projects across 17 Asian economies, Santiago further explains the work of IDRC in the interconnected global ecosystems of food production and security.

In this special episode of Asia Pacific Conversations, APF Canada’s Trade and Investment Program Manager Anastasia Ufimtseva chats with Mark Nicol, an Asia-based tech-consultant and Business Development Lead (Asia Pacific, Europe the Middle East and Africa) for Calgary-based Mobiltex Data. Mobiltex develops innovative field and cloud-connected technologies to deliver operational, safety, and ESG benefits to energy, water utility, and critical infrastructure operations. Mark – a speaker at the Climate Solutions conference that was part of APF Canada’s Canada-in-Asia Conferences in Singapore in February 2024 – discusses innovations in water supply management and the importance of engagement with businesses and government to bolster connections in the Asia Pacific. Originally from the U.K., where he worked for Thames Water as a water network engineer, Mark relocated to Asia in 2007 and has spent the last 16 years helping the region tackle challenges related to their water supply management.

In this special episode of Asia Pacific Conversations, APF Canada’s Trade and Investment Program Manager Anastasia Ufimtseva chats with Dr. Gaurav Sharma, co-founder of Shandi Global, a Singapore-based company with Canadian connections. Shandi creates sustainable, affordable, nutritious meat alternatives – or plant-based proteins – with the potential of benefitting millions worldwide. Dr. Sharma – a speaker at the Agri-food conference that was part of APF Canada’s Canada-in-Asia Conferences in Singapore in February – discusses the importance of food security in plant-based proteins, Canada’s connection as a ‘food basket’ brimming with the peas used in Shandi’s plant-based proteins, and the growing Asia business opportunities for other firms and entrepreneurs in this agri-food sector.

The State of Southeast Asia 2024 Survey is the sixth in an annual series of surveys conducted by the ASEAN Studies Centre at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore. Based on nearly 2,000 high-value respondents from 10 Southeast Asian economies, the survey’s 72-page summary report captures perceptions of ASEAN, China, the U.S., broader Asia, the EU, and Canada. In this podcast episode, APF Canada’s Vice-President Research & Strategy, Vina Nadjibulla, discussed the survey’s findings – including Southeast Asia’s top economic and geopolitical preoccupations and the fact that China edged past the U.S. this year to become the prevailing choice if the region were forced to align itself in the ongoing US-China rivalry.

In this special episode of Asia Pacific Conversations, APF Canada’s Trade and Investment Program Manager Anastasia Ufimtseva chats with two international business leaders active in climate solutions bridging Canada and Asia. Chad Rickaby, Managing Partner at Greentech Asia (Singapore/Vancouver) and CEO of ClimateDoor (Vancouver), explains how Canadian businesses have a unique opportunity to prioritize a region looking for products and services where Canada has an advantage. Alex Hanly, CEO of Lithium Universe Limited (Australia), explains how his company is expanding its footprint in Quebec and the growing opportunities he sees for Canada’s lithium sector in the coming decade.

As 968 million registered voters prepare to cast their ballots in the world’s largest election from April 19 to June 1, APF Canada’s Vice-President Research & Strategy, Vina Nadjibulla, explores the critical dynamics of India’s upcoming elections with Michael Kugelman, Director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C., and their implications for stakeholders in Canada and around the world. Kugelman, an expert on shifting geopolitics of South Asia and U.S.-India relations, is a columnist for Foreign Policy magazine and has written extensively for The New York Times, Foreign Affairs, and The Wall Street Journal. He offers his thoughts on the global implications of India’s economic and geopolitical rise, as well as the current and future state of Canada-India relations.

2023 Marshall McLuhan Fellow Jodesz Gavilan, an investigative reporter with Rappler, an independent news outlet in the Philippines, discusses the challenges for human rights journalists in her country. In her conversation with APF Canada's Senior Program Manager, Erin Williams, she talks about covering the Duterte administration's 'war on drugs', fractious politics, and creating impactful solutions to social challenges.

In this special episode of Asia Pacific Conversations, APF Canada’s Senior Program Manager for Trade and Investment, Anastasia Ufimtseva, chats with Colin Harris, one of British Columbia, Canada's most successful technology entrepreneurs.

Harris, holder of five patents in microelectronics, is the co-founder of PMC-Sierra – now part of Microsemi Corporations– with R&D operations in Burnaby, B.C. and Montreal, Quebec. His company has a global footprint, including across much of the Asia Pacific.

A University of B.C. Engineering Physics alumnus, today Harris is a major player in and supporter of the B.C. entrepreneurial community as both an angel investor and mentor and currently advises many of the vibrant startups in Vancouver.

From early entry into Asia’s markets in the 1990s to his company’s integration into the tech supply chain across the region today, Colin discusses his strategies, challenges, and successes in the Asia Pacific.

From January 29 to February 2, 2024, Canada’s Foreign Interference Commission held preliminary hearings as part of the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions. As APF Canada continues to monitor and provide analysis on this process and its impact and importance for Canadians, our Vice-President Research & Strategy, Vina Nadjibulla, unpacks this first round of hearings and their implications for our national security and the integrity of our democratic institutions.

In this special edition of Asia Pacific Conversations, Vina Nadjibulla, APF Canada's Vice-President, Research & Strategy, discusses Taiwans 2024 presidential and legislative elections with Dr. Yves Tiberghien. Yves is a Professor of Political Science, Director Emeritus of the Institute of Asian Research, and Co-Director of the Center for Japanese Research at the University B.C. An APF Canada Distinguished Fellow, he is a currently a visiting professor at the Taipei School of Economic and Political Science and had a front-row seat for Taiwan's consequential elections on January 13.

At the first anniversary of Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS), and recently returned from the Indo-Pacific Strategy Forum in Ottawa on defence and trade engagement with the region, the Foundation’s Vice-President Research & Strategy Vina Nadjibulla discusses the implementation and implications of the ‘generational’ foreign policy codified within the IPS.

In this episode of the Asia Pacific Conversation podcast series, the Foundation’s Vina Nadjibulla, Vice-President Research & Strategy, discusses the highs, lows, surprises, and disappointments following her participation at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Week 2023 in San Francisco November 11-17.

APF Canada President and CEO Jeff Nankivell joins the Foundation's Business Asia Program Manager, Anastasia Ufimtseva, to discuss key findings and takeaways from the latest Investment Monitor 2022 annual report focused solely on research and development (R&D), including what it can tell us about current relations and potential in R&D foreign direct investment collaboration between Canada and the Asia Pacific. For more on the latest investment flows between Canada and Asia, read our latest Investment Monitor 2022 report on R&D at asiapacific.ca

Ranjit Singh, researcher at the AI on the Ground Initiative, Data & Society Research Institute, invites us to reframe our thinking about how technology impacts the globe’s largest populations in the Global South. They, in fact, form the “majority world” rather than a collective remainder in the conceptualization, use, and application of technology. Observing how tech actually affects communities on the ground and the nature of their relationship with technology can help tailor and improve the experience of data-driven solutions, in practical terms.

In this episode, Sanjana Hattotuwa, special advisor at ICT4Peace Foundation and research fellow in Dunedin, Aotearoa NZ, prompts us to ask better questions about online content: how does it inform our world view? What values does it advance? And how do we wrest control of it? Drawing the analogy of DJs and clubs, Sanjana breaks down the role of content creators and the platforms that host them, as well as what it all means for the millions of users in the Global South who have long “begged” for greater attention to these issues before the West woke up to them.

Rasheed Griffith sits down with Elina Noor to outline the technology landscape, competing priorities, and structural constraints in the Caribbean. Cautioning observers to see the Caribbean for what it actually is rather than what we want to see in it, he debunks assumptions about China’s presence and influence in the region through initiatives like the Digital Silk Road. Rasheed is non-resident senior fellow with the Asia and Latin America Program at the Inter-American Dialogue and Head of Operations at Merkle Hedge, a Canadian financial tech firm focused on high-frequency trading strategies in cryptocurrency markets.

In this sobering reflection on the continued impact of systemic injustice in the digital age, Sara Cole Stratton argues powerfully for the inclusion of different worldviews and knowledge systems. Her unique perspective of viewing digital tech through a Māori lens is borne of first-hand encounters with racism and the effects of colonial imposition on everyday life and decision-making, from institutionalized laws to algorithmic bias in technology. Sara is the founder of Māori Lab in NZ and a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council for AI Fairness.

References:

Urs Gasser and Virgilio Almeida, “Futures of Digital Governance,” Communications of the ACM, March 2022, Vol. 65 No. 3, Pages 30-32, https://cacm.acm.org/magazines/2022/3/258905-futures-of-digital-governance/fulltext.

Beyond the North-South Fork on the Road to AI Governance: An Action Plan for Democratic & Distributive Integrity, https://digitalrights.ai/report/

In this episode of Asia Pacific Conversations, Major-General Greg Smith, Director-General of International Security Policy with Canada's Department of National Defence, unpacks Canada's evolving military engagement in the Indo-Pacific region.

In a wide-ranging conversation with the Foundation’s Vice-President Research & Strategy Vina Nadjibulla, MGen Smith draws on his experience with NATO, Canada's multinational allies, and the military industry to discuss the unnerving dynamics playing out on the Korean Peninsula and the broad maritime tensions in the waters of South and Southeast Asia. This episode also touches on security concerns in the North Pacific and the Arctic, as well as Canada's role both abroad and at home in building security and defence partnerships. MGen Smith highlights key trends in Canada's military multilateral defence partnerships amidst a changing defence policy stance with the release of "Our North, Strong and Free: A Renewed Vision for Canada’s Defence" and what it means for Canada's military strategy in the Indo-Pacific.

Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada President & CEO Jeff Nankivell discusses emergent issues and ideas with thought-leaders from across the Asia Pacific in this ongoing podcast series. Asia Pacific Conversations is where conversation meets innovation at the intersection of Canada-Asia relations.

In this episode, Imen Ghedhioui, former advisor to Tunisia’s Ministry of Communication Technologies and Digital Transformation, explains why the intersection between the behavioral sciences and technology is crucial for digital access, inclusion, and integration. She talks about the localization of technology to further those aims, and underscores the importance of agency in interacting with tech — of personal agency vis-a-vis data and of national agency in digital infrastructure development.

As one of Southeast Asia’s smaller countries, Cambodia is often overlooked and underrated. Yet, the country’s youth dividend, technological leapfrogging, and economic growth rate over the past decade warrant a closer look at its potential. In outlining Cambodia’s priorities and challenges in the digital space, Siriwat Chhem, Director of the Centre for Inclusive Digital Economy at the Asian Vision Institute, explains why context, functionality, and unintended consequences all matter in making tech meaningful.

In this episode, Merih Angin, Assistant Professor at Koç University in Turkey, underscores the criticality of viewing tech holistically. She unpacks why a cross-disciplinary and multi-perspective approach is important, and dives deep into the diversity of tech priorities among various stakeholders in one country - Turkey - alone.

In this episode of Between the Binary, host Elina Noor speaks with Moliehi Makumane, a researcher with the Security and Technology Programme at UNIDIR and a former cyber diplomat. Here, Moliehi prompts us to apply a broader lens to thinking about technology in a development setting: we talk of South Africa’s digital priorities, positioning amid powerful state and industry partners, indigenous innovations for the world (“create local, think global”), as well as the challenges of South-South technological cooperation.

From great power rivalry to gender inclusivity, Fitri Bintang Timur, Researcher, Centre for Strategic and International Studies Indonesia, outlines how Indonesia is navigating its digital priorities amid disruption and decoupling. Fitri reminds that despite the headlines, all challenges are ultimately local and capacity-building efforts must be sensitive to realities on the ground.

In out first episode of the series, Farish Noor, Professor of History at the University of Malaya, sets the scene for thinking about the present-day role and implications of technology by looking back at the relationship between history and technology. Farish traces the trajectory of technology, weaponization, and colonialism; unpacks the link between data and power; and offers some thoughts about how to break the cycle of the past for a more constructive digital future.

This episode of Asia Watch: Beyond the Headlines features APF Canada President & CEO Stewart Beck in a conversation with Canada-India Business Council (C-IBC) President & CEO Victor T. Thomas in a discussion about India's terrifying second COVID-19 surge. C-IBC council members have already raised more than C$30 million in donations to the Indian Red Cross and CARE India through their Canadian counterparts, amongst other charities, to provide local, on-the-ground assistance in cities across India. And efforts continue. Mr. Beck and Mr. Thomas further discuss India's anticipated economic recovery in a post-pandemic context, and the need for Canada to "supercharge" its relationship with India now as the world's most populous democracy edges toward a $10-trillion economy within a decade. Other topics include five areas and sectors of opportunity for Canada to engage with India, as well as the South Asian nation's emerging role as a 'counterbalance' to China.

In advance of his APF Canada webinar, author and APF Canada Distinguished Fellow Bart Édes discusses strategic foresight, its applications and implications for the COVID-19 pandemic, and what it can tell us about the world of tomorrow.

APF Canada Research Analysts Dongwoo Kim and Julia Nguyen discuss identity, gender, and race against a backdrop of rising anti-Asian racism in Canada.

In this episode of Asia Pacific Conversations, Professor T. V. Paul, Distinguished James McGill Professor of International Relations at McGill University and a Distinguished Fellow with APF Canada, unpacks his latest book, The Unfinished Quest: India’s Search for Major Power Status from Nehru to Modi. In a wide-ranging conversation with the Foundation’s Vice-President Research & Strategy Vina Nadjibulla, Prof. Paul traces India’s postwar trajectory and its rise as a global power. More than a decade in the research and writing, The Unfinished Quest charts the external and internal constraints India has had to contend with in its pursuit of major power status, its accommodation (or lack thereof) in international politics as a new power, and the challenges ahead, including current strains in Canada-India relations. The recording follows an APF Canada partner book launch event at the University of B.C. with the Liu Institute of Global Issues.

A discussion about Canada's participation in the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

A discussion about the battle between Facebook and the Government of Australia over the country's news media law.

A discussion about the unprecedented acceleration in digital adoption in Southeast Asia as an engine of economic development, particularly in the context of the post-pandemic world.

Welcome to our Asia Watch: Beyond the Headlines series, where we take a deeper dive into current developments in Asia of interest and impact for Canadians.

Welcome to our Asia Watch: Beyond the Headlines series, where we take a deeper dive into current developments in Asia of interest and impact for Canadians.

This podcast series from the Toronto branch of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada's Asia Pacific Youth Council presents perspectives and experiences of youth and young professionals who have had the opportunity to live or work between Canada and Asia.

In the Asia Pacific Youth Council's second podcast episode of Have Your Say they present perspectives and experiences of youth and young professionals who have had the opportunity to live or work between Canada and Asia.

In this special episode of The Youth Element, join Justin Kwan and special guest host Erin Williams as they dig deeper into the thoughts of Canadian millennials, our country's role on the world stage, and how this might influence our relations with Asia.

This is it – the series finale of The Youth Element. In this episode, join co-hosts Justin and Linda as they break down, one last time, what their peers abroad think of when it comes to “adulting.” More specifically, tune in to hear about millennial concerns over growing into adulthood in Taipei, Shanghai, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Seoul – from incredibly intensive job application systems, to long-term, but just-as-real, worries over pensions!

While youth around the world are going through a lot of the same struggles, in this episode of The Youth Element, join co-hosts Linda and Justin as they explore every day activities, youth spaces, and even trendy #hashtags to better understand how youth across East Asia are responding to similar socioeconomic pressures in the context of their respective cities – be it through retail therapy, overt political activism, or sharing a collective rant with pals over cake.

In this episode of Asia Pacific Conversations, we turn a spotlight on Taiwan following two recent APF Canada interactions with Asia’s high-tech powerhouse – the Taipei Security Dialogue in Taiwan on September 12 and an APF Canada event in Vancouver with Taipei Economic and Cultural Office Canada Representative Dr. Harry Tseng on September 9. Featuring a conversation with our Vice-President Research & Strategy Vina Nadjibulla, who participated in the security dialogue in Taipei and moderated our public event with Dr. Tseng, this episode explores Taiwan’s security amid the global security challenges posed by China’s rise, the island’s competition for leadership in advanced chip and emerging technologies, the geopolitical implications of that competition, Taiwan’s quest for international partnerships and support, and opportunities for future Canada-Taiwan co-operation.

Welcome to the final instalment of The Youth Element’s 3-part break-out series on political engagement. After exploring activism and social consciousness among millennials in Japan, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, co-hosts Linda, Justin, and a special guest, turn their microphones on South Korea. Join our hosts as they unravel the catalytic role South Korean youth played in the President Park scandal, and why youth continue to be at the centre of the controversy long after Park’s bitter end, and the election of President Moon Jae-in.

In episode four of The Youth Element we examine why political activism among youth in Taiwan and Hong Kong is growing, and how young people are making their voices heard through these new channels of political engagement. First, we discuss how young activists in both places have moved off the streets and into the formal political process. We also dig deeper into how some of the leading activists became engaged in mainstream politics through the creation of new political parties and by participating in local elections. Then, we discuss the gap in political attitudes between youth and their parents, as well as the crossover between pop culture and activism.

In this episode of The Youth Element, join us as we investigate how a prominent group of students in Japan called SEALDs (Students Emergency Action for Liberal Democracy), tried to reinvigorate the idea of political participation amongst the younger demographic. We’ll not only examine the group's brief success in shaking up the status quo and dispelling the image of the apolitical generation, but also the idea behind this so-called “political allergy” towards politics and civic engagement.

In this episode of The Youth Element, join us as we explore how South Korea and Taiwan’s military service is more than just a stage in a young person's life. We’ll be looking at not only how our current generation of youth feels about the service and its purpose in their respective societies, but we’ll also look at how other aspects of life and culture are influenced by the military – from geopolitics to your favourite k-pop band.