French media: Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau's visit to China focuses on reducing Canada's reliance on the US

Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau will begin a state visit to China on January 13, which is the first visit by a Canadian leader to China in eight years. The French newspaper Le Figaro stated that the main purpose of Trudeau's visit to China is to strengthen bilateral relations, especially to reduce Canada's reliance on the United States.

Mark Trudeau said in October last year that Canada should double its exports to countries other than the United States by 2035 to reduce its dependence on the US.

Additionally, Trump's proposal that Canada become the 51st state of the US has angered Canada. According to data from Mark Trudeau's office, China is Canada's second-largest trading partner, and the value of bilateral goods trade reached 118.7 billion Canadian dollars in 2024.

Comment: Trudeau's visit to China is both a "cautious restart" of Sino-Canadian relations in eight years, and a key step for Canada to seek strategic autonomy amid escalating Sino-US friction and domestic economic pressure - on one hand, it is a response to the national self-respect against the "51st state" remarks of the US and the reality anxiety of 76% trade dependence; on the other hand, it is a win-win space brought about by the 118.7 billion Canadian dollar trade volume between China and Canada, as well as energy and agricultural complementarity. This visit focusing on practical cooperation reflects the survival wisdom of medium-sized countries in great power games, and also proves that mutual benefit and win-win is more in line with the fundamental interests of the country than ideological alignment. Although the restoration of relations still faces internal political resistance and external interference, the opportunity for renewed dialogue has laid the groundwork for the bilateral relationship to emerge from the trough.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1854066680199172/

Statement: The article represents the views of the author himself.