German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s recent visit to Metro Vancouver was described as a «rare» opportunity by Bridgitte Anderson, CEO of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade. Anderson hosted a roundtable discussion attended by about 20 delegates from Germany and Canada, which focused on topics such as Indigenous reconciliation, the net-zero economy, and reorganizing supply chains in the Indo-Pacific region. The media was not permitted to attribute quotes to the delegates, but discussions included balancing the risks and opportunities of doing business with China and whether India was a suitable alternative for creating new value chains. Anderson believes that Germany’s interest in these issues while in Vancouver, the gateway to the Asia Pacific, is important for strengthening trade relations globally. Steinmeier also visited the Burnaby fuel cell company Cellcentric, went on a boat tour of Vancouver Harbour with B.C. Premier David Eby, and was scheduled to visit the University of B.C.’s Smart Hydrogen Energy District.
According to Statistics Canada, Germany was Canada’s seventh-largest source of foreign direct investment in 2021, totaling $31.9 billion, and was also Canada’s largest merchandise export market in the European Union last year. Eby sees Steinmeier’s visit as a valuable opportunity to create ties, given Canada and Germany’s commitment to creating a more sustainable, greener economy through innovation. The German president is set to travel north to Yellowknife and Tuktoyaktuk on Wednesday for events, including meetings with government officials and a tour of the Canadian Armed Forces’ Joint Operations Centre in the North.