Picture courtesy of WERC+

Mark Carney, the Canadian leader, is currently visiting China with the aim of exploring new trade partnerships, which is an important turn as Beijing eyes this opportunity to pull Canada away from the US's influence. China's state media has pushed for Canada to adopt "strategic autonomy" in its foreign policy and distance itself from American directives. This visit comes amidst tensions exacerbated by President Trump's economic and military actions, which China hopes will weaken the US-Canada alliance.

In recent years, Canada's and China's relations have been strained, particularly following the 2018 arrest of a Chinese tech executive at the request of the US. Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's alignment with US policies, including hefty tariffs on Chinese products, has added to this tension. Carney's administration sees eyeing new global trade ties as a way to reduce Canada's economic reliance on the American market.

Chinese experts have noted that Canada could be shifting its stance due to US actions abroad, including military involvement in Venezuela and Trump's controversial remarks about Greenland. Canadian officials, however, remain focused on trade improvements rather than eliminating existing tariffs, and experts like Zhu Feng suggest caution in overestimating the potential alignment shift given Canada's historical ties with the US.

Looking ahead, while China aims to capitalise on any rifts between Canada and the US, experts believe Canada is unlikely to completely sever ties with its powerful neighbours. The visit showcases China's bid for diplomatic influence amidst ongoing global complexities, reported ABC News.

Key Takeaways:

• China urges Canada to pursue an independent foreign policy.

• Carney's visit focuses on diversifying trade options beyond the US.

• Historical ties may prevent a complete shift away from US influence.

  

Adapted by ASEAN Now from ABC News 2026-01-14

 

 

Poor Donald. He's learning that his gestures and his sense of humour have consequences in the real world.

Canada has already begun distancing itself from a hugely unreliable ally under the Trump regime. Carney has been negotiating one deal after another with China, the EU, and other nations around the world for its precious resources that the US needs, but won't have access to because of the highly destructive circus clown.

Do nothing Carney was the biggest waste of time ever experienced at the Bank of England during his time there.

12 minutes ago, Thingamabob said:

Do nothing Carney was the biggest waste of time ever experienced at the Bank of England during his time there.

Perhaps he learned some lessons and has moved on. His current performance would suggest so.

Different job, different skill sets required.

Impossible, Canada can't do that, European states , Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and some (many?) other states are unfortunately Vassal states, they not really sovereign states (only in paper yes!)

3 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Carney has been negotiating one deal after another

Can you name some?

Carney did well at the bank of England

His Key Achievements

• Crisis Management:

  • Steered the Bank through the Brexit referendum (2016), using liquidity injections and forward guidance to calm markets.

  • Helped maintain financial stability during volatile periods.

• Monetary Policy:

  • Kept interest rates at historic lows to support growth.

  • Expanded quantitative easing (QE), reinforcing credit availability.

• Global Reputation:

  • Seen as a “steady hand” internationally, having previously led Canada’s central bank.

  • Advocated for climate finance and sustainable investment, raising the Bank’s profile on global issues.

4 minutes ago, Celsius said:

Can you name some?

Yes. Canada is kicking America's butt. Trump as usual, is losing.

From a very interesting article in the Financial Post.

I worked in the Canadian grain industry for 30 years and it is based on international trade. I was chairman of the Canadian Grain and Oilseed Exporters Association for four years from 2017 to 2021. I’ve travelled to 36 countries on all continents. I’ve observed the implications of tariffs to the full extent. The U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods and services, resources and commodities will not end well for Americans. Tariffs are the woke of economics.

Throughout my travels, trading nations are the most prosperous nations. A simple Google search tells us that Canada has 15 trade agreements in force with 51 different countries. The U.S., on the other hand, has only 14 free trade agreements with 20 countries. Canada is a trading nation.

In my experience in the cattle industry and grain and oilseed sectors, Canadians are very professional in trade relations and have the highest respect from nations around the world. Countries would rather trade with Canada than the U.S.

Most American imports from Canada have inelastic demand. In grade school, we learned that America has tried to take over Canada three times throughout history and failed every time. Canadian unity will be strengthened like we’ve never seen before. Trump, you are ruining a relationship with your best friend and ally. Where is the Ronald Reagan mindset or Milton Friedman when you need them?

https://financialpost.com/news/opinion-trump-tariffs-canadians-outsmarted-americans

Replacing Californian tomatoes with Italian tomatoes. Ohio-made pepperoni with meats produced in Ontario and Quebec. Coca Cola with sparkling water, sweetened with Canadian maple syrup.

At the end of January, as US President Donald Trump ramped up threats to annex Canada and wreck its economy with tariffs, Graham Palmateer, who runs a pizza joint in Toronto’s west end, told his customers he’d be making some swaps to his fridges and shelves: no more products produced in the United States, or by American companies. “At one point I just figured, that’s enough, I’m going to do this,” Palmateer, the owner of Gram’s Pizza, told CNN.

An unfamiliar emotion has been brewing in normally polite Canada: anger. Since Trump first threatened to enact sweeping tariffs on Canadian imports and began referring to the US’ northern neighbor as the 51st state, animosity toward the US and its leader has been mounting. Canadians have canceled vacations south of the border and loudly booed “The Star-Spangled Banner” at sports events. An ice hockey game between the two countries last month quickly turned into a geopolitical event as players on both sides threw fists.

Later in the week, the US president announced brief reprieves from the tariffs for automakers, and for goods that fall under the North American free trade agreement negotiated during Trump’s first term, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. But for many, the two months of back-and-forth with Trump on tariffs have irreparably damaged ties. “The relationship has been changed forever,” British Columbia Premier David Eby told reporters this week. “We’ve got friends, family and relationships that have gone back for generations across the border. We love our American family members,” he added. But Canadians “will never again put ourselves in the position of being so dependent on the United States.”

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/06/us/canada-trump-tariffs-reactions-intl-hnk

Canada was the first non-EU country to join the EU’s loan-for-weapons Security Action for Europe program this month, opening another channel for defense industry cross-pollination. The Gulf is the second priority region for Ottawa in the new year, the official said. At least three Canadian Cabinet ministers have scheduled separate trips to the United Arab Emirates in January.

Trade war tensions with America are pushing Canada closer to China and India. Carney is set to visit Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on separate trips in the new year, two dramatic U-turns in recent Canadian foreign policy. Carney’s proposition neatly sets up Canada as an interlocutor to bridge economies — reaching for clout in a new multipolar world.

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/29/mark-carney-trade-doctrine-00707257

1 minute ago, spidermike007 said:

Yes. worked in the Canadian grain industry for 30 years and it is based on international trade. I was chairman of the Canadian Grain and Oilseed Exporters Association for four years from 2017 to 2021. I’ve travelled to 36 countries on all continents. I’ve observed the implications of tariffs to the full extent. The U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods and services, resources and commodities will not end well for Americans. Tariffs are the woke of economics.

Throughout my travels, trading nations are the most prosperous nations. A simple Google search tells us that Canada has 15 trade agreements in force with 51 different countries. The U.S., on the other hand, has only 14 free trade agreements with 20 countries. Canada is a trading nation.

In my experience in the cattle industry and grain and oilseed sectors, Canadians are very professional in trade relations and have the highest respect from nations around the world. Countries would rather trade with Canada than the U.S.

Most American imports from Canada have inelastic demand. In grade school, we learned that America has tried to take over Canada three times throughout history and failed every time. Canadian unity will be strengthened like we’ve never seen before. Trump, you are ruining a relationship with your best friend and ally. Where is the Ronald Reagan mindset or Milton Friedman when you need them?

https://financialpost.com/news/opinion-trump-tariffs-canadians-outsmarted-americans

Replacing Californian tomatoes with Italian tomatoes. Ohio-made pepperoni with meats produced in Ontario and Quebec. Coca Cola with sparkling water, sweetened with Canadian maple syrup.

At the end of January, as US President Donald Trump ramped up threats to annex Canada and wreck its economy with tariffs, Graham Palmateer, who runs a pizza joint in Toronto’s west end, told his customers he’d be making some swaps to his fridges and shelves: no more products produced in the United States, or by American companies. “At one point I just figured, that’s enough, I’m going to do this,” Palmateer, the owner of Gram’s Pizza, told CNN.

An unfamiliar emotion has been brewing in normally polite Canada: anger. Since Trump first threatened to enact sweeping tariffs on Canadian imports and began referring to the US’ northern neighbor as the 51st state, animosity toward the US and its leader has been mounting. Canadians have canceled vacations south of the border and loudly booed “The Star-Spangled Banner” at sports events. An ice hockey game between the two countries last month quickly turned into a geopolitical event as players on both sides threw fists.

Later in the week, the US president announced brief reprieves from the tariffs for automakers, and for goods that fall under the North American free trade agreement negotiated during Trump’s first term, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. But for many, the two months of back-and-forth with Trump on tariffs have irreparably damaged ties. “The relationship has been changed forever,” British Columbia Premier David Eby told reporters this week. “We’ve got friends, family and relationships that have gone back for generations across the border. We love our American family members,” he added. But Canadians “will never again put ourselves in the position of being so dependent on the United States.”

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/06/us/canada-trump-tariffs-reactions-intl-hnk

Canada was the first non-EU country to join the EU’s loan-for-weapons Security Action for Europe program this month, opening another channel for defense industry cross-pollination. The Gulf is the second priority region for Ottawa in the new year, the official said. At least three Canadian Cabinet ministers have scheduled separate trips to the United Arab Emirates in January.

Trade war tensions with America are pushing Canada closer to China and India. Carney is set to visit Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on separate trips in the new year, two dramatic U-turns in recent Canadian foreign policy. Carney’s proposition neatly sets up Canada as an interlocutor to bridge economies — reaching for clout in a new multipolar world.

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/29/mark-carney-trade-doctrine-00707257

Appreciate the lengthy post. I hope you are right, but I don't have much faith in Carney.

17 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

I worked in the Canadian grain industry for 30 years

Too many years ago I working in East Malaysia/Borneo. On a weekend 8 of us drove into the interior ostensibly to travel down a river for an overnight in a longhouse in Indonesia. After an evenings drive an overnight and a morning drive we arrived at the end of a road by said river and boarded a local outboard powered "canoe" to travel downriver to the longhouse.

To my amazement there in the middle of the jungle in the middle of Borneo the boatman was sporting a brown, red and yellow "POOL" baseball cap. 😄

Of course the globalist is going to bed with China. China is already calling the shots.

Mark Carney snubbed by Chinas President Xi as he

arrives in China

BEIJING — Mark Carney arrived in China today seeking closer ties, but President Xi Jinping did not appear, send a greeting, or publicly acknowledge the visit. The muted reception underscored an uncomfortable reality: Beijing sees Canada as useful, not important. Turns out admiration isn’t the same as influence.

17 hours ago, FinChin67 said:

Mark Carney snubbed by Chinas President Xi as he

arrives in China

I think you'll find he received the same official welcome in central Beijing, just like every other head of government or head of state.