CANADA
is looking for strategic partnership with Brunei by offering its significant
technological expertise in the oil and gas industry, especially in clean and
renewable energy, Canada's Minister of International Trade and Asia-Pacific
Gateway said yesterday.
Ed Fast, who was in the Sultanate on a one-day
official visit, told The Brunei Times yesterday that he felt these
"value-added industries" can benefit the country.
He said Canada, one of the world's
"energy super-powers", has the third largest oil reserves in the
world and is similarly rich in natural gas, is looking forward to become a more
significant partner with Brunei in capitalising on these opportunities.
Apart from having industries that are focussed
on clean and renewable energy, Fast said Canada also has a very significant
petrochemical industry, and is a leader in both solar and wind energy.
"These are all the areas that I think
Brunei can tap into because we have developed that expertise," he said
during the interview held at The Empire Hotel and Country Club.
The minister also indicated interest in
potential tie-ups between Brunei and Canada's education institutions, as Canada
has a number of technical institutions and universities specialising in oil and
gas, such as the Northern Institute of Technology and the University of
Calgary.
"All of them are currently providing
significant education to students from Southeast Asia, including Malaysia,
Indonesia and presumably Brunei," he said.
"We believe Brunei is quite an advanced
economy. It has done well during this recession and Canada has a number of
areas where it can strategically partner (with Brunei). I also shared my desire
that there be stronger education linkages between Brunei and Canada, because
Canada is a world leader in education especially post-secondary
education," Fast said.
Fast said there is "so much more
collaboration" that both countries can dive into, and Canada remains open
to discussing new strategic partnerships that could result in Memoranda of
Understanding (MoU).
Meanwhile, the minister also said he was
grateful for Brunei's support for Canada's application to be a partner in the
Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
He said that Canada is very appreciative of
Brunei being a "very very strong supporter" of them being at the
table, adding that he had communicated this with His Majesty the Sultan and
Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, His Royal Highness Prince Haji
Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime
Minister's Office, His Royal Highness Prince Mohamed Bolkiah, Minister of
Foreign Affairs and Trade, as well as Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma Dewa Dato Seri
Setia Lim Jock Seng, the Second Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, during
separate meetings.
The current partners within the Trans-Pacific
Partnership (TPP), including Brunei, are considering applications from three
new countries; Canada, Japan and Mexico.
Citing that as one of his reasons for visiting
Brunei, Fast said he was here to deepen the trade and investment relationship
between the two countries.
"Our current trade relationship is
relatively modest, although there is a significant increase in Canadian
companies investing in Brunei. There are quite a number that are now active
here in Brunei with strategic investments," he said.
He also said that he witnessed a signing of an
agreement on food security yesterday morning.
Following an audience with His Majesty the
Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam in the afternoon, he said,
"My focus was to first of all to convey to His Majesty, our desire to
truly deepen our trade and investment relationship with his country."
Speaking about his short visit, Fast said,
"The welcome that I and my delegation received have been incredibly warm.
I feel like we have made new friends in Brunei. The meetings I have had right
from His Majesty the Sultan and his family, as well as some of the officials
here have been very helpful in moving our trade and investment relationship
forward."Beyond that, the minister said he felt both nations are
establishing stronger people-to-people ties and taking them to new heights.
"The message that I would leave with
Brunei is that Canada has certainly taken notice of Brunei and we expect that
people in Brunei have also taken notice of Canada, and consider us a very close
friend," he said.
"We would certainly welcome and look
forward to a visit from His Majesty to Canada. His Majesty has visited Canada
before on a number of occasions, and I know Canadians will welcome him and I
look forward to having those discussions," he added.
RACHEL THIEN
The Brunei Times
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