China stated that the trade agreement with Canada is not intended to weaken the position of other countries, including the US, after Donald Trump threatened over the weekend to impose 100 percent tariffs on Canadian products if Canada finalizes a deal with Beijing.
The rest of the article below the video:
“It (the agreement – ed.) is not directed against any third party” — Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Monday about the new “strategic partnership” between Canada and China. He added that China sees the agreement as “serving the common interests of the peoples of both countries.”
Trump threatened Canada 100%. customs dutiesif the country signs an agreement with China. In posts on Truth Social, the US president warned Canadians that China would “devour them” within the first year and that their country could become a “transshipment port” for Chinese products entering the US market.
Prime Minister of Canada on the agreement with China
In response, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was not seeking to conclude a free trade agreement with China and had “never” considered such a possibility.
He noted that Canada has an obligation to notify the United States if it plans to sign a free trade agreement with a “non-market economy” under USMCA, the long-standing free trade agreement with the United States and Mexico.
“We would communicate it and then the process would be very open and transparent,” Carney said.
See also: Trump: We used a new secret weapon in Venezuela. “Nothing worked”
Canada-China Agreement. What is it really about?
Under the agreement, Canada will allow 49,000 products to be placed on the market. Chinese electric vehicles annually at a reduced tariff rate of 6.1%, after previously increasing customs duties on these vehicles to 100%. in October 2024 in cooperation with the United States.
In return, Beijing will reduce tariffs on Canadian agricultural exports, including rapeseed oil (tariffs will drop to 15% from March 1, from the current 85%).
Trump: Canada survives thanks to the United States
However, tensions between the US and Canada have increased in recent days after Carney claimed in his Davos speech last week that the US-led world order had collapsed.
Trump responded to these comments in his speech the next day, saying: “Canada lives because of the United States.” He also withdrew Carney's invitation to join his new Peace Council.
The Canadian Prime Minister explained Trump. “A Tough Negotiator”
Carney told reporters on Monday that he believed the threat was part of Trump's broader negotiating tactics ahead of a mandatory review of the USMCA agreement later this year.
“The president is a strong negotiator and I believe some of these comments and positions should be viewed in a broader context,” he said.
Carney also emphasized his position that Canada needs to diversify its trade portfolio to “reduce its dependence on the United States.”
Source: BBC, CNBC
