Towards Canada's Asia Strategy on AI

In recent years, the importance of developing targeted strategies to pursue opportunities in the Asia Pacific – that is, 'Asia Strategies' – has come to the forefront of policy discourse.[1] As noted in global strategy advisor Parag Khanna's bestseller, The Future is Asian, Asia is increasingly becoming more prosperous and confident. For Canada, sustained engagement with this region is now critical to the country's long-term economic prosperity. Propelled by its young population and increase in productivity, Asia is predicted to make up 65 per cent of the world's global middle class by 2030 and it is expected to account for 53 per cent of the world's population and 52 per cent of global GDP by 2050. The need for trade diversification and deeper engagement with Asia is clear, but Canada often falls short of the Asia-specific skills, resources, and, most importantly, strategiesthat are required to take advantage of these opportunities.