The Enemy of My Tariff
It is a strange sight to see a Canadian Prime Minister shaking hands in Beijing for the first time in nearly a decade. Mark Carney’s visit to China feels less like a reunion of old friends and more like a necessary maneuver in a hostile game of musical chairs.
For years, the narrative was simple: The West vs. The Rest. But with the new administration in Washington slapping tariffs on “friends and foes alike,” Ottawa has been forced to recalculate. The headline is that Canada and China are “resetting ties.” The subtext? Canada is terrified of being bullied by its closest neighbor.
Canola for Cars
The deal on the table is the definition of pragmatic. We will take your electric vehicles (49,000 of them, to be exact) at a reasonable tariff, and you will stop punishing our canola farmers. It’s a classic barter: high-tech wheels for yellow fields.
It’s fascinating to watch the ideology melt away when the economic forecast gets cold. Just a year ago, Chinese EVs were a “security threat” and a symbol of unfair subsidies. Today? They are a necessary component of our “green transition” and a bargaining chip to save our agriculture sector.
The Middle Power Hustle
Carney is calling this a “new strategic partnership.” I suspect it is actually just survival. This is what happens when the “unipolar moment” ends. Middle powers like Canada can no longer afford the luxury of choosing sides based purely on principle. We have to hedge.
We are diversifying away from an unpredictable America by engaging with an ambitious China. It is a tightrope walk over a canyon. Lean too far one way, and we anger Washington; lean too far the other, and we compromise our own sovereignty.
Welcome to the “new global reality,” where your best friend is whoever isn’t currently taxing your lumber.