(VOVWORLD) - Relations between Canada and Vietnam will continue to grow despite recent changes in Canadian politics, according to experts and diplomats.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party will retain power, winning 156 seats in last week’s elections, 14 short of the 170 needed for a majority in the House of Commons. He later ruled out forming a coalition government, whether formal or informal.
Director of the Canada-Vietnam Trade Council Elizabeth McIninch is optimistic about cooperation between the two countries. She noted that in 2018, Vietnam maintained its position as Canada’s biggest trade partner in ASEAN. Vietnam has sent 20,000 students to Canada, the largest number in Southeast Asia and the fifth worldwide.
Luis Silva, an expert on Government relations, expressed his belief that Vietnam-Canada ties will continue progressing in the second term of the Liberal Party’s Government. He said the agreement PM Trudeau signed on establishing the two nations’ comprehensive partnership in 2017 showed that Vietnam is an important partner of Canada in the Asia-Pacific region.
Many Canadian experts consider Vietnam a rising star in Southeast Asia. An open economy, international integration commitments, and the steady GDP growth rate of about 7% annually over the past decade has driven Vietnam’s manufacturing industry forward.