Canada-China Relations committee  It is indeed.

Canada-China Relations committee  Thank you for the question. Certainly, on pillar five, the diplomatic uplift that Canada will be undertaking in the Indo-Pacific region—and Mr. Epp will have more details on the numbers—I think there will be between 100 and 120 strategically trained, placed and positioned diplomats in the region, including a lot of diplomats with more expertise on China, not just to work in China but to work in other missions across the region.

Canada-China Relations committee  I thank you for a terrifically important question. You contextualized it by saying that Canada is not a heavyweight in our engagement with G7, G20 or CPTPP. I think one of the charms and the success factors of Canada in the global context is that we don't come across as a super-weight.

Canada-China Relations committee  Thank you for the question, Mr. Bergeron. It really is at the core, I think, of the formation of the strategy. I think Canada has said, fairly explicitly, that with regard to our relationship with China, we will compete where we compete; we will collaborate where we collaborate; and we will challenge on issues of human rights and economic coercion where we think that the lines are being crossed.

Canada-China Relations committee  I think the first distinction that has to be made is that Canada's Indo-Pacific strategy is a Canadian strategy. It was built with Canadian interests and geopolitical realities in mind, and with a focus on what Canada wants to do for our businesses, students and citizens with respect to the fastest-growing economy in the world.

Canada-China Relations committee  I think there's more we can do over the lifetime of this strategy. It has in fact been a year since the launch of the strategy. Of course, because significant resources are being committed to the strategy, it takes time for the process of Parliament and for budgets to be allocated.

Canada-China Relations committee  Thank you for the question, Mr. Chong. I think there is a significant focus in the strategy for Canada's clean-tech companies to be able to scale up, to be able to do their first commercial demonstrations in key markets in the Indo-Pacific region. Canada, as you're probably aware, has 15 of the top 100 clean-tech companies in the globe.

Canada-China Relations committee  Personally, I've had many, many conversations with Japan at the political and corporate level about the LNG Canada project. Of the five partners in the project, Mitsubishi in Japan is a 15% stakeholder. This is a project that they are waiting for with enormous anticipation, and they are extraordinarily pleased that the completion of the project will be well ahead of schedule—for a couple of reasons.

Canada-China Relations committee  There was an extraordinarily broad, comprehensive consultation strategy leading up to the formalization of the Indo-Pacific strategy. I think the message we heard from all stakeholders across Canada was “Please make it right this time.” I say that because for decades Canada has had, as I said earlier, episodic interventions—

Canada-China Relations committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. My apologies. I think it's an important question, because in the consultations that took place before the formalization of the strategy, the messages were loud and clear—let's get it right this time so that Canada doesn't go into different parts of the region and then get distracted by other global issues.

Canada-China Relations committee  Thank you for the question. I think there are two primary drivers. One is a long-term driver, in that Canada has made efforts over many decades to be a more engaged partner in the Indo-Pacific, but frankly, we have spent most of our economic history tied to Europe, the United States and Central and South America.

Canada-China Relations committee  I would agree that the future of Taiwan would be determined—as it will be, certainly, in the short term—through their elections, which I think are happening early next year. I was not present at that committee hearing, but perhaps if my colleagues Mr. Epp and Ms. Strohan have more detail on the exchange there, they might be able to assist me in responding more fulsomely to your question, Mr.

Canada-China Relations committee  Obviously China, like every other country in the Indo-Pacific region, is well aware of the Indo-Pacific strategy that was developed by Global Affairs Canada and partner departments across the Government of Canada. I'll be as clear as I can be in terms of China's response. They're not spending a whole lot of attention and time thinking about our Indo-Pacific strategy.

Canada-China Relations committee  Yes, indeed, with Japan as the host country for the G7 in 2023, they in fact hosted 16 ministerial conferences, as well as the leaders summit that took place in May. In terms of the foreign affairs ministers summit, there was one in April and there was a secondary one in November.

Canada-China Relations committee  That is my understanding as well. If I'm incorrect, I'm sure Mr. Epp would correct me, but I presume that has also been on hold.