The challenge for Canada to underscore its commitment is to deliver on initiatives that are priorities for regional countries, such as maritime security and infrastructure development, observers say.

“Unfortunately, the Trudeau government continues to misread how Asean and the larger region view Canada … It overly focuses on trade rather than key issues the region is focused on, such as infrastructure and security,” Nagy said.

Wrapping up his visit to Laos last week where he attended the Asean or Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit, Trudeau said Canada needed to keep up its presence in Southeast Asia if it sought to benefit from the region’s economic boom.

“That’s really a big piece of the challenge, making sure that we are showing up,” Trudeau said at a news conference last Friday after attending the annual meeting for a third consecutive time.