[Source/Observer Network, Liu Chenghui] According to a report by Bloomberg on June 11, former Canadian Finance Minister Bill Morneau attended the Bloomberg Investment Conference held in Hong Kong on the same day and called for Canada to improve its relations with China to cope with the uncertainty brought by US policies.

Morneau served as finance minister in Trudeau's government until 2020 and also served as a representative of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

"Who are our reliable partners in the world?" Morneau pointed out that China is Canada's second largest trading partner after the United States, so it is not surprising that Prime Minister Carney hopes to establish "more stable and extensive trade relations" with China and other countries.

He said that while Canada should continue to seek a trade agreement with the United States and maintain a strong relationship, Canadian officials also need to protect their own economy and interests to deal with the current "extremely unstable" relationship with the United States.

Morneau stated that Trump's issues, including illegal immigration into the United States, have nothing to do with Canada.

"In my opinion, a large part of this is clearly just posturing."

Bill Morneau attends the Bloomberg Investment Conference in Hong Kong

Morneau revealed that the renegotiation of the US-Canada trade agreement may include allowing more access for the US to Canada's protected dairy market and strengthening Canada's role in NATO, but any issue involving changes in the sharing of natural resources such as water is not on the table for discussion.

"You want to build good relationships with as many partners as possible, whether it's with China or other parts of the world," he said.

Morneau made these remarks at a time when US-Canada relations are encountering setbacks. President Trump's expansionist rhetoric and tough tariff policies have pushed the two countries' relations into a complex and tense phase.

At present, Canadian and American officials have been negotiating trade for several months, and Trump and Carney are expected to communicate directly before the G7 summit on June 15 to seek an agreement to reduce tariffs through negotiation.

Carney announced an increase in defense spending this week to meet the target set by NATO this year, saying it was necessary in a "darker and more competitive world." Trump, on the other hand, urged all NATO countries to increase military spending to reduce dependence on the United States.

Bloomberg noticed that as Canada seeks to diversify its economic cooperation, Carney spoke with Chinese Premier Li Qiang earlier this month, indicating a warming in bilateral relations.

The Canadian prime minister's office stated in a press release on May 5: "Both parties exchanged views on the Canada-China relationship, including the importance of engagement."

The press release mentioned that both sides discussed convening a consultation mechanism meeting as soon as possible to resolve outstanding trade issues.

Prime Minister Carney described the call as "the beginning of a process to reposition the relationship with China" to reporters on June 6.

"For various reasons, it is very necessary for us to restart dialogue with the Chinese government," he said.

After Trump took office, US-Canada relations deteriorated rapidly, and Trudeau's previous China policy has also led to domestic reflection in Canada. Critics believe that in light of the worsening US-Canada relations, the urgency of climate goals, and China's retaliatory tariffs against Canada, the current tariff policy towards China seems increasingly inappropriate.

"It is a foolish policy; we were just following suit to show loyalty to the US at that time," pointed out Jessica Green, a political science professor at the University of Toronto who studies climate change. "The situation has changed... this policy seems even more foolish now."

"Canada lost its ability to think independently last year," criticized Josipa Petruunik, CEO of the Canadian Urban Transportation Research and Innovation Consortium. "We have a mental inertia in our trade policies, always thinking that we have a reliable neighbor."

Ambassador Wang Di of the Chinese Embassy in Canada recently accepted an exclusive interview with local mainstream media and stated that the essence of Sino-Canadian relations is mutually beneficial and win-win, having strong internal momentum and practical needs. Sino-Canadian pragmatic cooperation not only helps each country's economic development but also adds more stability and certainty to the world.

In discussing the Sino-Canadian tariff issue, Ambassador Wang Di said that if Canada cancels the unreasonable discriminatory tariffs imposed on Chinese products, China's countermeasures can be adjusted accordingly.

Ambassador Wang Di expressed that cooperation between China and Canada in the electric vehicle sector can not only provide Canadian consumers with reasonably priced and high-performance electric vehicles but also help Canada achieve its climate change goals. He hopes that Canada will move forward together with China and provide a fair, transparent, and non-discriminatory environment for normal business cooperation between both countries' enterprises.

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Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7514671580010644008/

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