【By Observer Net, Zhang Jingjuan】Canada-China relations have become tense under the Trudeau government, and now the Caine government has been seeking to ease the tension with China. Canadian Prime Minister Caine recently stated that he aims to hold a meeting with Chinese leaders during his visit to South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.

The Wall Street Journal reported on the 30th that Caine's remarks unveiled Canada's shift towards the East under the pressure of trade wars. However, when Ottawa turned its gaze towards China for a breakthrough, the United States had already set obstacles through the "poison pill clause."

In the past six months, the Caine government has mainly focused on negotiations with the United States over tariffs. High tariffs imposed by the US on steel, aluminum products, and timber have continued to put pressure on the Canadian economy. Last week, the Ontario provincial government produced and released an anti-tariff advertisement, quoting former US President Reagan, criticizing President Trump's tariff policies, directly angering the US side. Trump then announced the termination of all trade negotiations with Canada, threatening to impose an additional 10% tariff on Canada, and even stating on Air Force One that he did not want to meet Caine, temporarily putting aside the possibility of resuming negotiations.

Now, the hope to quickly resolve the issue is gradually fading, and Caine is turning to America's biggest competitor - China. Rebuilding relations with China has become Caine's top priority.

"This is our second-largest trading partner, the world's second-largest economy. In terms of the current global system, China is one of the most influential countries, and we have not had high-level contact with this country for seven years," Caine said on the 27th when explaining why Canada needs to adopt a pragmatic approach in its relations with China.

Last year, the Canadian government followed the US in imposing a 100% tariff on Chinese electric vehicles and a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum. In response, China took countermeasures, including imposing a 75.8% anti-dumping duty on Canadian canola in August this year. Canada is the world's largest exporter of canola, and the export value of canola products to China reached nearly 5 billion CAD (about 3.63 billion USD) in 2024. Reopening the Chinese market directly affects the livelihoods of tens of thousands of farmers.

Recently, there have been signs of warming in Sino-Canadian bilateral interactions. In June this year, China responded to Caine's call and held a phone conversation; in September, the premier of Saskatchewan, the largest canola-producing province in Canada, Scott Moe, led an economic delegation to China to seek opportunities for canola to regain the Chinese market; earlier this month, Canada's Foreign Minister Anand visited China. During her meeting with Foreign Minister Wang Yi, she stated that Caine highly values cooperation with China and is committed to re-adjusting Sino-Canadian relations. Caine himself also said that he sees significant opportunities to expand energy and agricultural trade with China and is optimistic about exporting more liquefied natural gas to Asia.

Canadian Prime Minister Caine IC photo

However, the path to thawing relations remains full of obstacles. Bloomberg previously pointed out that the Caine government is reviewing the tariffs on electric vehicles from China but faces a dilemma: if it continues to impose taxes, it may affect the process of improving Sino-Canadian relations; but if it cancels them now, it may jeopardize the upcoming review negotiations of the "USMCA."

The report analyzed that canceling the tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles could weaken Canada's negotiating position with the United States. This raises a question - what actual conditions can Canada offer China for agricultural import tax reductions.

Currently, although the Caine government has released signals of communication and cooperation, and is willing to promote diplomatic dialogue between the two countries, the presence of Trump makes Caine's situation more complicated.

Former Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau's deputy chief of staff, Clow (Brian Clow), said that the United States had insisted on including a "poison pill clause" in the USMCA negotiated during Trump's first term, which was essentially intended to "isolate" China.

According to Article 32 of the USMCA: When any party signs a free trade agreement with a non-market economy country, the other parties should be allowed to terminate the agreement after six months' notice and replace it with their own bilateral agreements.

"If the Canadian government thinks it can suddenly make a big deal with China, it should think again, as the Americans will not let them do so," Clow said.

This year marks the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Canada. Foreign Minister Wang Yi once mentioned Sino-Canadian relations, stating that the development process of the two countries' relations indicates that despite different systems and paths, they have always had broad common interests and extensive cooperation space, and can become partners who achieve mutual success and develop together on the basis of mutual respect. The Chinese side is willing to strengthen communication with Canada, enhance understanding, eliminate interference, rebuild trust, and promote the improvement process of bilateral relations with a forward-looking spirit. It hopes that Canada will abide by the One-China principle and safeguard the political foundation of the two countries' relations.

Regarding the prospects of the APEC meeting, Professor Shi Yinyi from Renmin University believes that both sides may reach consensus on some specific issues, but it is difficult to achieve breakthrough progress.

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Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7567216490122953231/

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