Canadian Women's Business Mission to Taiwan & Vietnam Promotes Trade

The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, with support from the public and commercial sectors, has announced its leadership in arranging a Canadian Women-Only Business Mission to Taiwan and Vietnam in the fall of 2024. This program, supported by the Government of Canada via the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy Ecosystem Fund, is part of the Foundation's Northeast X Southeast: Advancing Partnerships Between Canada and Asia business mission series for 2023-2025.

The mission's goals are to promote gender-inclusive commerce, increase assistance for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), and enhance international collaboration between Canadian firms and Taiwan and Vietnam's expanding markets. This is the seventh expedition in the APF Canada Women's Business Missions to Asia series.

The Canadian Women-Only Business Mission will include public seminars with renowned speakers from Canada, Taiwan, and Vietnam to discuss bilateral and regional trade challenges, gender inclusion, and SME assistance. Delegates will participate in targeted business-to-business (B2B) matchmaking, company pitches, and networking sessions to meet with stakeholders in the destination markets.

Opportunities in Taiwan and Vietnam:

Taiwan's C$1 trillion economy and critical role in high-tech manufacturing provide chances for Canadian enterprises to access complex value chains. Bilateral commerce between Canada and Taiwan reached C$12 billion in 2022, showing the two countries' strong economic connections.

Vietnam, with a C$571 billion GDP and membership in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), offers substantial prospects for Canadian firms. In 2022, bilateral goods trade between Canada and Vietnam was worth C$13.8 billion.

Applications for the mission will begin on March 11, 2024. The Government of Canada supports the effort through Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada.