Minister Champagne concludes visits to Japan and South Korea

Promotes Canada as the strategic partner of choice for key allies in Asia

SEOUL, South Korea, Nov. 25, 2022 /CNW/ - Today, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, concluded a visit to Japan and South Korea, where he met with top business and industry leaders in key sectors, including clean tech, automotive, electric vehicle batteries and semiconductors.

In Japan, the Minister first visited Nagoya, where he toured Toyota Motor's Motomachi plant and met with the CEO of Toyota Tsusho. In Tokyo, in addition to leading the Canadian delegation at the annual summit of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI), Minister Champagne held meetings with the Chairman of Mitsui as well as with the President and CEO of Panasonic Energy. The Minister also held a roundtable with members of Japan's Battery Association for Supply Chain to discuss investment opportunities in Canada's electric vehicle battery ecosystem.

In South Korea, Minister Champagne met with his counterpart, Lee Chang-yang, Minister of Trade, Industry, and Energy as well as with Dr. Wan Yoon Jong, Economic Security Advisor to South Korea's President. These meetings were an opportunity for the Minister to follow up on the recent visit by President Yoon Suk Yeol to Ottawa and to discuss our comprehensive strategic partnership.

Minister Champagne held a series of meetings with the CEOs of major South Korean companies, including SK ie Technology, the POSCO Group and Hyundai Motors, as well as with corporate executives from Samsung Electronics and LG Energy Solution. This was an opportunity for the Minister to highlight Canada as a green supplier of choice, particularly for businesses looking to secure and green their supply chains given the current geopolitical and economic context.

Finally, while in Seoul, the Minister co-hosted a Canada–Korea business roundtable with the Korea International Trade Association and participated in a event hosted by the Federation of Korean Industries. These two events were attended by Canadian companies E3 Lithium, Electra Battery Materials, Nano One Materials, Martinrea International, Zentek and Stingray, as well as South Korean companies such as Hyundai Engineering, Samsung C&T Corp, Medipost, Kakao Enterprise Corp, POSCO International, Hanwha Solutions, SK Inc. and Krafton.

Quote

"As a Pacific nation, Canada recognizes that the Indo-Pacific region is critically important for the long-term prosperity and economic security of Canadians. The Government of Canada looks forward to deepening strategic ties to help build economic resiliency and provide new market opportunities for Canadian, Japanese and South Korean businesses while strengthening partnerships in science, research, innovation and AI."
– The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry

Quick facts

• The Government of Canada is committed to deepening engagement in the region through the development of a comprehensive Indo-Pacific Strategy.
• In addition to hosting the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) summit, Japan will hold the presidency of the G7 in 2023.
• Japan is Canada's fourth-largest trading partner and largest source of foreign direct investment from Asia, with 600 Japanese subsidiaries and affiliate companies active in Canada.
• South Korea is Canada's seventh-largest trading partner, seventh-largest merchandise export market and seventh-largest source of merchandise imports. This trade relationship is strengthened by the Canada–Korea Free Trade Agreement (2015).

Associated links

• GPAI 2022 Ministers' Declaration
• Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI)
• Canada-Japan relations
• Canada-the Republic of Korea relations
• Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets with President of South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol

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SOURCE Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

Laurie Bouchard, Senior Manager, Communications, Office of the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, [email protected]; Media Relations: Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, [email protected]