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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》Peace, resilience key in Ottawa plan
Canadian Trade Office in Taipei Executive Director Jim Nickel speaks at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
REGIONAL DEPLOYMENT: The head of the Canadian Trade Office said a goal of its new Indo-Pacific Strategy is to uphold the law of the sea and conventions of the UN
By Jason Pan / Staff reporter
Promoting “peace, resilience and security” is among the main reasons for Canada to deploy additional military assets in the Indo-Pacific region, Canadian Trade Office in Taipei Executive Director Jim Nickel said yesterday as he presented a new Ottawa strategy.
Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy would include deploying frigates in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, with a goal to bolster its diplomatic and military presence in the region, and implement programs to increase bilateral trade and investment with Taiwan, Nickel told a news conference in Taipei.
Canada is committed to upholding the international law of the sea and UN conventions, so it would conduct collaborative military operations in the region, and take a leadership role to combat coercive and irresponsible use of new technology in cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns and other threats to national security, he said.
New funding would allow Canada to become a more active partner with countries in the region, he said, adding that Ottawa would continue its multifaceted engagement with Taiwan, including collaboration on trade, technology, healthcare, democratic governance and countering disinformation.
Canada would develop additional links between the two governments to facilitate more exchanges between lawmakers on both sides, said Nickel, who took office in early October.
It would “work with partner countries to push back against any unilateral actions that threaten the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, as well as in the East and South China seas,” Nickel said.
Canada has said it would invest more than US$492.9 million to reinforce its Indo-Pacific naval presence and increase the participation of Canadian armed forces in regional exercises.
Moreover, US$47.4 million would be earmarked for new programs to develop cybersecurity capacity with key regional partners.
Global Affairs Canada, a government department that manages Canada’s diplomatic and consular relations, has announced total investment of about US$2.3 billion over the next five years for the Indo-Pacific Strategy. Its other main objectives are to expand trade, investment and supply-chain resilience, and enhance innovation and research in new technologies.
Cooperation programs are under way with Taiwan to boost supply chain resilience, which has been disrupted in the past few years by the COVID-19 pandemic, Nickel said, adding that Taiwan is important to Canada and most other countries for the key role it plays in producing semiconductor chips and tech products.
Taiwan and Canada can expand trade and investment activity, as Canada has critical mineral resources for the semiconductor industry, he said.
Other important pillars of the strategy are to “invest in and connect people” in the region, and “build a sustainable and green future” by transitioning to clean energy and electric vehicles, reducing marine pollution and plastic waste, mitigating the effects of climate change and attaining a net zero emissions target by 2050, he said.
Nickel said that the Festival of Canadian Arts and Culture — which is to run in Taiwan for the next 18 months — would highlight the rich and dynamic cultures of both countries, and the shared values of diversity and creativity with more than 20 events and exhibitions across the nation.
The festival’s first event puts the spotlight on art and cultural endeavors with the Persistence/Resistance: Taiwan-Canada Indigenous Art Exhibition at the Tainan Art Museum, he said.
The exhibition, which runs through Jan. 29 in Tainan before a three-month run at the Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines in Taipei, has contemporary works, including paintings, sculptures, photography and other pieces by indigenous artists from Taiwan and Canada.
Hailing from Saskatchewan, Nickel was deputy head of mission at the Canadian embassy in Beijing, with previous posts in Japan, Indonesia and India.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
