【Text by Observer Net, Liu Bai】Since the Trump administration took office this year, relations between the United States and Canada have repeatedly shown friction.

According to China Central Television news, on July 10, Trump announced that starting from August 1, he would impose a 35% tariff on goods imported from Canada. In the context of ongoing trade conflicts with the U.S., provincial premiers in Canada have called on the federal government to improve relations with China. Several premiers stated that Trump's actions seem to treat Canada as an enemy, and Canada must engage with China and build broader connections with China to reduce its reliance on the U.S.

From July 21 to 23, provincial premiers from across Canada gathered in Ontario for a three-day summer meeting. On the last day of the meeting, July 23, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe and Ontario Premier Doug Ford emphasized that Canada needs to engage more with China.

"If we really want to reduce our reliance on the U.S. in any way, I think the only way is to expand the types of new products we produce, not just existing ones. So we must engage with China, and therefore we need to establish broader relationships with them," said Moe.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe (second from left) attended the meeting. CTV News

Moe and Ford both expressed concern about the situation of steelworkers in their provinces, as three major steel mills are currently suffering from the U.S. tariffs on steel.

Ford mentioned that former British Prime Minister Churchill once said, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." Now, it seems that Trump's actions are like those of an enemy of Canada.

He pointed out that Ontario imports about $4 billion worth of goods from China annually, while exports amount to only about $300 million. "As long as China competes fairly, whether in the automotive industry or any other industry, I don't oppose engaging with China because we are already cooperating with them," he said.

However, Ford still supports Canada's decision last year to impose a 100% tariff on Chinese electric vehicles. Just on July 16, Canada again unilaterally announced measures to impose tariffs on products containing Chinese steel components, citing the need to protect domestic industries.

The spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Commerce emphasized that the Canadian approach violates World Trade Organization rules, disrupts international trade order, harms Chinese interests, and is a typical example of unilateralism and protectionism. China strongly opposes this.

In fact, the main cause of the difficulties in Canada's steel industry is the unilateral tariff measures imposed by the U.S. However, the Canadian government avoids the main issue and tries to shift the damage caused by the industry onto other trading partners, including China. The Canadian approach is unreasonable, lacks legal basis, and is ineffective, seriously harming normal Sino-Canadian trade cooperation.

China hopes that Canada will immediately correct its wrong practices and stop the restrictions, taking into account the overall interests of the multilateral trading system and Sino-Canadian economic and trade relations. China will take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises.

In response to Canada's unreasonable tariff measures, in March this year, China announced additional tariffs of 100% on canola oil, meal, and peas from Canada; and 25% tariffs on seafood and pork from Canada.

This countermeasure has truly hurt Canada. At this summer meeting, provincial premiers issued a statement expressing their hope that the federal government led by Prime Minister Trudeau would prioritize urging China to cancel these tariffs and request the federal government to reform the bail system and increase medical funding.

Trudeau said on the 22nd during a meeting with the premiers that his government would only sign a new agreement with the U.S. if there was a worthwhile agreement to sign.

Ford said to the media that day that if Canada fails to reach a fair agreement with the Trump administration, he would not rule out the possibility of imposing additional electricity taxes on U.S. states.

"Regarding the electricity export tax, everything is on the table — we'll see how this deal proceeds, and we'll see what he says on August 1. Later, Ford spoke at a meeting with Trudeau and other premiers, saying that Canada should 'match the U.S. tariffs dollar for dollar and retaliate as harshly as possible.'"

Ford said: "President Trump understands one thing — that is power. He doesn't understand or appreciate weakness. If we show even the slightest weakness, he will run over us like a cement road roller."

It is worth noting that facing the Trump administration's increasing pressure, more and more Canadians are calling on the federal government to improve relations with China.

A Canadian scholar published an article on July 14, emphasizing that Canada should move away from its dependence on the U.S. and establish closer ties with China. The article pointed out that Sino-U.S. relations have gradually become imbalanced, and the U.S. attitude toward Canada has become increasingly like that of a vassal rather than an ally. Faced with the U.S.'s hostility towards China's technology industry and tough trade policies, blindly following the U.S. will only cause more harm to Canada.

The article emphasized that Canada's long-term subordinate position to the U.S. has hindered its ability to establish cooperative relationships with China, one of the world's most important economies.

To achieve economic sovereignty, Canada must move away from the "Washington-made" narrative — that China is an unreliable trading partner with ambitions to dominate the world. Instead, Canada must establish its own relationship with China, one centered on Canadian rather than American interests.

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Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7530506149788680744/

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