ICA-CEPA Seen to Boost Indonesia-Canada Strategic Ties

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - The forthcoming implementation of the Indonesia–Canada Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (ICA-CEPA) is set to deepen trade and investment ties between Indonesia and Canada, as policymakers and businesses on both sides position the deal as a platform for broader strategic cooperation.

Vina Nadjibulla, vice president for research and strategy at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, said the agreement is projected to create increasingly significant opportunities to strengthen bilateral relations. She delivered the remarks on the sidelines of the Canada in Asia Conference 2026 in Singapore on Wednesday, February 11, 2026.

“The implementation of ICA-CEPA is projected to open new and increasingly significant opportunities for strengthening relations between the two countries,” Nadjibulla said, as quoted by Antara.

She noted that momentum is also building beyond government channels, with chambers of commerce from both countries stepping up engagement. Organizations facilitating Indonesia–Canada cooperation recently signed a memorandum of understanding with academic partners and a chamber of commerce in Jakarta.

“This step reflects a more intensive and structured direction in bilateral relations, not only at the government level but also among business actors,” she said.

Nadjibulla said the partnership rests on the economic scale and complementarity of the two countries. Indonesia is seeking to strengthen its energy resilience, including discussions surrounding nuclear energy, while Canada has advanced technological capabilities and decades of experience in the sector.

Food security represents another strategic area, she added, with Canada’s position as one of the world’s major food producers making it a potential partner of choice. Cooperation in climate technology and climate resilience is also becoming increasingly relevant as both countries face mounting impacts from climate change.

Referring to remarks made several months earlier in Ottawa by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Nadjibulla described current bilateral relations as being in a “spring momentum” phase marked by optimism and growth potential.

“We have talked a lot about commercial opportunities, but I think there are also opportunities from a middle-power perspective, governance, and doing things multilaterally,” she said.

According to Nadjibulla, Carney views Indonesia as a crucial strategic partner. A G20 member, part of BRICS, and a major middle power that, like Canada, operates outside the binary rivalry between the United States and China.

Within this framework, she said, Indonesia and Canada have a broad scope to elevate their bilateral relationship to a significantly higher level of strategic trust. ***