Economic Development Minister Currie Dixon will be en route to Asia on Sunday for a two-week trade mission.

"They're experiencing tremendous economic growth, and with that are experiencing an increasing demand for natural resources, so Asia represents a fairly logical trading partner for Yukon,” Dixon said in an interview Wednesday afternoon.

"At the end of the day, in order for economic projects to go forward in Yukon, we need to have investment. In most cases, that investment will come from outside our borders.”

Dixon said he isn't expecting any discussion regarding strained relationships between First Nations and the Yukon government.

"No, that's not something we've flagged,” he said. "There are concerns in any jurisdictions in the world about any number of things, and I think Yukon offers a stable investment climate and a good place to do business.”

A clear dichotomy has become evident in how the the Yukon Party, the NDP and First Nations describe the stability of the territory's natural resources industry.

"There's a certain irony to the minister going and continuing this sales pitch about how the Yukon is a great place to be investing,” NDP Leader Liz Hanson said in an interview this morning.

"It should be, and it has the potential to be,” she continued, but charged the government with creating an uncertain investment climate.

"We've been very lucky over the last few years because of the great rise in commodity prices,” she noted.

The real work, she added, is in creating a sustainable industry in the territory.

The first step in creating such an industry would be for the government to demonstrate it understands the significance of its agreements with First Nations, she said.

"That would do an awful lot to create the kind of environment where responsible investors will want to develop a sustainable mining industry in this territory.

"It's one thing to go and say something behind closed doors in a foreign country. It's another thing to actually do the hard work on the ground in your own territory, and that's where I think the work has to start,” said Hanson.

Dixon said he has heard similar comments from Hanson in the legislative assembly.

"I don't tend to take our economic advice from the NDP,” he said.

"I'm confident that the Yukon remains an open and competitive place to do business and it's an attractive jurisdiction for investors to invest their money”

Ruth Massie, the Council of Yukon First Nations' grand chief, could not be reached for comment before deadline, but has previously stated the relationship between YTG and the territory's First Nations is "rocky.”

Dixon will meet with both government, private sector, and Canadian officials in China and Japan over the course of his trip, spending time in Beijing, Tokyo, and Hong Kong.

While in Hong Kong, Dixon will be making a presentation at the Precious Metals Summit on Jan. 24.

The summit is a renowned mining forum and provides an opportunity to showcase the Yukon on a competitive global stage.

He said he does not expect to discuss the controversial Canada-China Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement, while visiting that country.

"The fact that Canada has made an explicit effort to court investment outside of our borders only supports our efforts,” he said.

The ground work for a strong economic relationship between the Yukon and China has been laid through previous efforts made by Canadian and territorial officials.

Over the course of this trip, he plans to expand on those efforts.

The government has been sending trade missions to Asia since 2005, spearheaded by former economic development minister Jim Kenyon.

Many successful business ventures have resulted from these efforts, the government said.