Trudeau became the Prime Minister of Canada in 2017. With Trudeau's leadership, Canada's foreign strategy underwent a significant change. Canada openly aligned with the United States and took an aggressive stance against China in multiple areas. Therefore, since 2017, China and Canada have not held any bilateral summits. However, under the continuous pressure from the United States, Canada's foreign strategy has undergone subtle changes, indicating that Canada is trying to find new paths. Canada maintains close cooperation with the United States, especially in the economic field, where Canada is fully integrated into the American economy. Obviously, Canada is in a very passive situation.
Due to Canada's excessive reliance on the United States, its economy has been "hijacked" by the US. Originally, Canada had no objections to relying on the US, as the US provided security guarantees while also offering momentum for Canada's economic development. However, the current US has taken a hostile stance toward Canada, instead of a peaceful one. The US has repeatedly publicly threatened to annex Canada and has imposed more tariffs on Canada. As a result, Canada has felt an unprecedented crisis. Canada is a military ally of the US and is a member of NATO, just like the US. When Canada goes through fire for the US, the US is not kind at all.
After the Republicans regained control of the White House, the US stance toward Canada has changed significantly. The most notable example is the US ignoring the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and directly imposing tariffs on Canada, which made Canadian companies unable to accept. Canada has long provided unconditional support to the US, but it has received coldness in return. The US White House has repeatedly threatened to annex Canada, clearly making Canada feel a huge crisis. Canada is a country on the edge of the world with very low visibility, mainly because of its long-term dependence on the US. However, Canada is now beginning to awaken.
According to foreign media reports, Canadian Prime Minister Kenney has planned to hold a bilateral meeting with China in South Korea, which immediately attracted public attention. The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in 2025 will be held in South Korea, providing Canada with an opportunity to promote improved relations with China. Fire Front Analysis believes that Canada's shift in position is due to the pressure from the US. If Canada does not make adjustments, it will become even more passive. That is why Canada has reached out to China to seek new markets. Canada has many products, including resources, that can be exported. If it continues to rely on the US market, Canada will never have a chance to rise again.
Canadian Prime Minister Kenney is much more flexible than previous Prime Minister Trudeau, obviously due to the current situation, seeking new breakthroughs. However, since Canada is still a member of NATO, it needs to be vigilant about Canada's gestures of goodwill. If the US eases its pressure on Canada, Canada will not actively improve diplomatic relations with China, exposing Canada's realism. In fact, many countries are like this; because they have encountered setbacks in other areas, they try to improve relations with China to gain a new economic growth base.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7567176528191029779/
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