MPPGA students Clare Kim and Tommy Koh attended the 4th Annual Canada-ASEAN Business Council (CABC) Business Forum held in Singapore from 21st to 22nd, March 2018. Under the direction of Professor Kai Ostwald, Clare and Tommy are UBC’s project leads for an ongoing research collaboration examining the possibilities for a ASEAN-Canada Free Trade Agreement with the Canada-ASEAN Business Council (CABC), the National University of Singapore (NUS), and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).
On the ground in Singapore, Clare and Tommy met with collaborators from NUS and engaged with multiple high-level policymakers and decision makers who work on Canada and Southeast Asia across both the public and private sector. The opportunity to connect with past and potential interviewees offered the students both professional and academic exposure.
Clare and Tommy also participated in the NUS “Managing Cross Border Trade & Value Chains in Southeast Asia” workshop with Professor Ostwald, where they engaged with an intimate group of industry and private-sector leaders in the region on the state of trade liberalism in Southeast Asia.
Clare further participated in the “Trade, Value Chains and Sustainable Development in Southeast Asia” event hosted in Singapore by the IDRC.