In late 2025, the Institute of Asian Research (IAR) was present at several policy-focused engagements in Ottawa that linked academic expertise with national-level foreign policy discussions. MPPGA student and IAR Fellow Xian Kostyrko, IAR Director and Professor Kai Ostwald (SPPGA/Poli Sci), and Centre for Chinese Research (CCR) committee member and SPPGA Professor Alex Yu-Ting Lin (pictured above, left to right) traveled to Ottawa to represent IAR and share their knowledge and expertise.
At the Indo-Pacific Strategy Forum, Prof. Ostwald contributed to the panel “Over the Hedge? Southeast Asia in a Multipolar World,” alongside Amitav Acharya (American University), Jennifer Mustapha (Huron University), and Alexander Vuving (Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies), moderated by past SPPGA Practitioner Fellow Julia Bentley (Munk School of Global Affairs; former High Commissioner of Canada to Malaysia), bringing academic and policy perspectives to current geopolitical dynamics in Southeast Asia.
The discussion, as Xian Kostyrko, describes, was constructive and responsive to recent geopolitical tensions, with a clear sense of realism regarding Canada’s goal of trade diversification. The takeaway was that Canada must invest more in regional expertise and pursue sustainable long-term development of its supply chains and investments across the Asia-Pacific, with significant opportunities in Latin America, Southeast Asia, and South Asia.
IAR’s engagement also extended into the policy community beyond the forum. Through his co-op placement, MPPGA student and IAR fellow for Centre for Chinese Research Xian Kostyrko spent a day at Global Affairs Canada headquarters presenting research on integrating Indigenous Voices into Canadian foreign policy.
“While meeting with diplomats, senior development officers and political analysts, I was given an hour to present my research that proposes Canada should do more to elevate the Indigenous Voice in its engagement with states in Asia, not only to centre Indigenous economic development, but also to separate Canada from the rest of the world attempting to diversify its trade, and to alleviate Canada’s reputation as a “fair-weather friend,” shared Xian.
Audience included members of his team (OAK), political advisors from the New Zealand, Australia, Pacific Islands and the Executive Director of the OAK branch. His experience underscored the value of regional expertise and highlighted the importance of sustained, long-term thinking in Canada’s Asia-related policy work.
