Toronto (VNA) – ASEAN-Canada relations and measures to harmonisethe American country’s benefits with ASEAN development progress in the contextof shifting power among great rivalries were discussed at a roundtable held inToronto, Canada from October 26-28.

The biennial event, held by the Canadian Council for Southeast Asian Studies(CCSEAS) under York University, drew the participation of tens of scholars,experts and representatives from the Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and embassiesof ASEAN member states.

ASEAN and Canada need to identify potential cooperation sectors as well aspromote measures to ensure collaboration efficiency, said Ian Burchett, DirectorGeneral of the Southeast Asia Bureau under the GAC, highlighting that bothsides have studied the possibility of putting forth the bilateral free tradeagreement and they are working to step up win-win solutions.

Indonesian Ambassador to Canada Teuku Faizasyah stressed on potentialcooperation sectors between the two sides like education, infrastructuredevelopment and trade.

Meanwhile, Joshua Brown, a representative from the ASEAN-Canada BusinessCouncil, said that Canadian enterprises want to enlarge trade scale with ASEANand furthering two-way trade will bring benefits to the private and publicsectors of both sides. However, he said, ASEAN needs to show off its strengths,potentials and opportunities to promote cooperative ties.

Solutions to bringing security and stability in the East Sea and East China Seawere on the table at the discussion on ASEAN and regional navigation issues.Experts highlighted ASEAN’s roles, as a unified and solid bloc, in ensuringregional security and balancing benefits among involved parties.

PhD Nguyen Dai Trang from the Canada-Vietnam Society noted that ASEAN hasconsiderable experience in tackling regional disputes and it is crucial tounderstand history of the East Sea to handle the disputes with the bestsolutions.

Meanwhile, Luis Silva from the Centennial College believed that Canada’sprosperity depends on peace and security of the waters that occupies 30 percentof the world’s total trade flows.

As ASEAN is celebrating its 50th birthday and 40 years of relationswith Canada in 2017, the conference created opportunities for both sides tostudy challenges, advantages and potential in bilateral ties, thus find outways to bolster bilateral relations effectively and sustainably.-VNA