After a private conversation was picked up by a microphone, the Canadian Prime Minister said Trump likes the structure of the Canada-China electric vehicle agreement
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stated that U.S. President Donald Trump is satisfied with Canada's agreement allowing limited quantities of Chinese electric vehicles to be imported at low tariffs.
The agreement, announced during Carney’s visit to Beijing this January, permits the importation of up to 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles within 12 months at a tariff rate of approximately 6%, with the quota gradually increasing over time. Prior to this, Canada imposed tariffs exceeding 100% on such vehicles.
Speaking to reporters during the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, a small town in eastern France, Carney said: "He actually really likes this structure," adding, "We had another conversation afterward."
On Tuesday, as Carney discussed the Canada-China agreement with Trump, a microphone captured the exchange. Carney explained to Trump how the agreement limits the number of imported vehicles. At the time, Carney said, "I think you’ll like this." Trump appeared to agree, responding, "That’s good."
When questioned about it on Wednesday, Carney said Trump had initiated the discussion, which is why he brought it up. Although no formal bilateral meeting took place between Trump and Carney during the G7 summit, Carney noted that the two had exchanged views on a broad range of issues throughout the summit.
The previous Canadian government’s agreement with China drew harsh criticism from members of the Trump administration. The Trump administration maintained a 100% tariff on Chinese electric vehicles and banned the importation of software from Chinese EVs on national security grounds.
Given Canada’s efforts to reduce tariffs imposed by Trump on foreign-made automobiles, the agreement remains a sensitive topic. Canadian Minister of Trade Dominic LeBlanc met with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer during a break at the summit on Tuesday.
LeBlanc later described the meeting as "constructive," but offered no clear answer regarding substantial progress in lowering tariffs. Meanwhile, Canadian Minister of Industry Mélanie Joly visited China this week, partly to meet with Chinese automakers.
The Carney government has been seeking joint ventures between Chinese and Canadian companies to produce electric vehicles in Canada, but the prime minister himself downplayed expectations for rapid results on Wednesday.
Carney said the Canada-China electric vehicle agreement "creates a possibility — note, a possibility, not certainty — that such a business relationship could develop and bring investment from China into Canada."
He added that the investment he referred to must involve "substantial Canadian production," and that his government has no interest in so-called "knock-down" assembly models, under which vehicles are mostly manufactured in China and then shipped overseas for final assembly.
Source: rfi
Original: toutiao.com/article/1868293287196808/
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