Investment Monitor 2022: Post-Pandemic Recovery and Canada-Asia FDI: Is the Rebound Sustainable?

Executive Summary

The Asia Pacific is a dynamic region that boasts some of the largest and fastest-growing economies in the world, making it central to the global economy and offering opportunities for Canadian outbound and inbound investment.

To provide a better understanding of the Canada-Asia Pacific investment relationship, the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada’s Investment Monitor offers a detailed look at key trends and investments. This annual report uses data aggregated from the Investment Monitor legacy data of two-way investment flows between Canada and Asia to explore changing trends in the investment flows.

This first report focuses on the main trends in Canada-Asia Pacific investment for 2021. Comparing current trends with 2020, the report examines whether we observe a recovery in FDI flows as a result of economic reopening. Specifically, this report provides insight into investment dynamics in the past year and contextualizes these events by placing them within the larger trends in investment between Canada and the Asia Pacific.

The report examines Canadian inbound FDI from the Asia Pacific and Canadian outbound FDI to the Asia Pacific at the national and provincial levels. In doing so, it examines the evolution of FDI over time by focusing on the following:

  • General trends in the foreign direct investment relationship between Canada and the Asia Pacific, from 2003 to 2021
  • An in-depth look into key investments and trends from 2021
  • Inbound and outbound investment relationships at the national, provincial, and city levels
  • A relevant analysis of changes to the Canadian investment screening regulations and foreign investment trends of state-owned enterprises (SOEs)

Infographic

Infographic of Key Takeaways