Canada's Tiger-Seeking-Fox Strategy: Only We and China Dare to Resist the US

The White House announced that President Trump of the United States signed an executive order, which will increase the additional fees imposed on Canada from 25% to 35% starting August 1. The reason is that Canada has not cooperated in curbing the flow of fentanyl into the US, but instead took retaliatory measures. In response, Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau expressed disappointment and vowed to defend national interests.

Notably, former Canadian official Brian Clouston hopped on the Chinese bandwagon, saying that the countries daring to confront Trump are currently only us and China.

In reality, Canada's strength and confidence are far inferior to China's, yet it still chooses to place itself in the same narrative framework as China. The reason is simple: when facing the US alone, Canada's size and dependence make it impossible to sustain long-term confrontation.

By equating itself with China, Canada can elevate its own weight, implying that it is not isolated, but standing side by side with the world's strongest country.

After all, Canada has become accustomed to relying on the tiger for courage. Previously, it relied on the US for boldness; now, the US has become its enemy, and it instinctively turns to the mountain for courage.

But no matter how much it tries to hitchhike, it cannot change a fact: the actual gap between Canada and China is huge.

China has a vast market and a complete industrial chain, which can withstand a long-term trade war; while Canada is highly dependent on the US market, and its effective countermeasures are limited.

The so-called "only we and China dare to resist the US" is more like a strategy of borrowing the aura of a big power to boost one's own weight, rather than real equal confrontation.

In other words, Canada stands shoulder to shoulder with China in posture, but in terms of strength, it is still far from being comparable to China.

Moreover, Clouston added another sentence, saying that seeing other countries reach agreements with Trump, it is funny to question whether continuing to confront the US is wise.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1839322555505728/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.