A free trade agreement (FTA) between Canada and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) is expected to be concluded by next year, according to Canadian and Thai officials who are privy to the talks.
Surin Thanalertkul, the Canadian embassy trade commissioner, and Martin Sullivan, senior market development officer of the Canada Indo-Pacific Agriculture and Agri-Food Office (IPAAO), talked to the Bangkok Post about the issue on Tuesday during the Catch of Canada event co-hosted by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce Thailand, the Canadian embassy and Canada IPAAP in Bangkok to promote Canadian seafood and agricultural products in Thailand.
Both said they hoped the Canada- Asean FTA would be concluded soon as that would help boost trade between the two markets including with Thailand. Mr Surin said the FTA negotiations would help smoothen bilateral trade between Thailand and Canada.
At present, trade between the countries is going well but there are some challenges including issues related to market access, tariffs and technical issues when Canada exports goods to Thailand, he said.
He gave the example of when Canadian companies want to export seafood products to Thailand; they have to pay different tariffs depending on the products' ready-to-eat levels. The closer to the ready-to-eat level, the higher tariffs exporters need to pay.
"The issue will be solved when Canada and Asean conclude the FTA. We expect the FTA negotiations will be completed by next year," Mr Surin added.
Mr Martin said the Indo-Pacific is one of the fastest-growing economic regions in the world and one of the most important export markets for Canada. "Canada has many FTAs with many countries and regions, like the United States, Mexico, the EU, and CPTPP [Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership], and we are hopeful that we can grow the relationship with Asean and Thailand through an Asean FTA," he added.
The Canadian government's website says Canada and Asean announced the conclusion of exploratory discussions for a possible FTA at the Asean Economic Ministers–Canada Consultation in Bangkok on Sept 10, 2019. Canada and Asean agreed on Nov 16, 2021 to proceed with negotiations toward an Asean-Canada FTA to create new market opportunities for Canadian goods and services while supporting a more transparent and predictable environment for trade and investment.
Later, Asean and Canada had six rounds of talks with the chief negotiators in August and November 2022, April, June and September 2023, and this January.
