The U.S. President Trump announced on the 27th local time that due to Canada's imposition of a "digital services tax" on American technology companies, the United States will stop all trade negotiations with Canada and will soon announce new tariff rates for Canada. In response, Canadian officials called on the government to accelerate the diversification of trade and reduce reliance on the U.S.
British Columbia Premier David Ibbison: Let's develop diverse relationships globally, make new friends, ensure we conduct trade with countries that wish to cooperate, and strengthen partnerships. Canada is an independent sovereign country with many friends around the world, and should reduce its reliance on the U.S.
To date, the Canadian government has not made a clear response to Trump's latest threat. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said they would continue negotiations but did not answer whether the Canadian government was prepared to cancel the "digital services tax" that Trump was concerned about.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau: We will continue these complex negotiations to protect the best interests of the Canadian people.
Canada's "digital services tax" was implemented last year, but the first taxes will start being collected from June 30. According to the plan, the Canadian government will impose a 3% tax on the income of technology companies providing digital services to Canadian users or selling Canadian user data, and this will be retroactive to the companies' 2022 income. This means that American companies meeting the tax criteria will face a $2 billion tax bill by the end of July. The U.S. government has consistently opposed this tax.
Regarding whether the Canadian government will reconsider the "digital services tax" in order to reach an agreement with Trump, Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand told the media that Canada will seek to eliminate unreasonable tariffs and advance all issues, including this one, during negotiations, but the negotiations should not be publicized. She also stated that the Canadian government will work to achieve trade diversification.
Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand: We will ensure the diversification of supply chains, so that we are no longer 80% dependent on a specific economy.
Original Title: "Canada Officials Call for Trade Diversification, Saying 'Reduce Reliance on the U.S.'"
Column Editor: Qin Hong Text Editor: Lu Xiaochuan
Source: Author: CCTV News
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7521229365397570099/
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