Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made an official visit to China from the 14th to the 17th, marking the first time a Canadian prime minister has set foot on Chinese soil in eight years since former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's visit to China in 2017.

Notably, over the past eight years, Sino-Canadian relations have experienced significant fluctuations. This visit by Trudeau comes at a time of significant global upheaval: the Trump administration in the United States openly declared its dominance over the Western Hemisphere, pursued radical trade protectionism, and repeatedly showed contempt for international law and the principle of sovereignty. Against this backdrop, Trudeau's visit carries special significance. It is not only a thawing journey to mend relations but also a "rational return" for American allies seeking strategic autonomy between geopolitical forces.

Significant fluctuations in relations

Even for other Western allies such as the UK, France, and Germany, their relations with China have not experienced such drastic fluctuations in recent years as those between Canada and China.

In 2017, when then-Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited China, both sides were exploring the possibility of a free trade agreement. However, as the first term of the Trump administration pursued a strategy of containing China and pressuring allies to "take sides," especially as Canada played a role as an accomplice in the US-China game, this process came to a halt in 2018. Bilateral trust between China and Canada was severely damaged, and China began to question Canada's diplomatic autonomy. Although Sino-Canadian relations saw some improvement afterward, the rift remained.

In 2017, the first-term U.S. President Donald Trump and then-Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Source: GJ

In the economic field, Canada continued with the logic of "political alignment," following the U.S. in imposing a 100% tariff on Chinese electric vehicles, and a 25% import tax on steel and aluminum products, which quickly triggered retaliatory measures from China. However, this alignment did not bring the expected political or economic returns to Canada. Canada not only lost an important market, but its agricultural provinces were also hit, and the automotive industry found itself in a more awkward situation due to U.S. tariffs and adjustments in industrial subsidies. With changes in U.S. policies, companies like Stellantis moved back to the U.S., accelerating the outflow of Canadian manufacturing.

Two factors prompting reflection in Canada

The deeper background of Trudeau's visit is a systematic reflection on Canada's foreign and economic strategies. In the past year, the Canadian government and business circles gradually realized that over-reliance on a single superpower brought tangible "diplomatic suffocation."

This lesson first came from the "unreliability" of the U.S. After Trump returned to the White House, Canada's sense of strategic insecurity rapidly increased. Just because Ontario province aired a TV ad quoting former U.S. President Reagan criticizing the harm of tariffs, Trump twice in five months unilaterally suspended trade negotiations. Canada once believed that by cooperating with the U.S. on China policy, it could obtain stability and exemptions under the framework of the USMCA, but reality shattered the illusion.

Secondly, it was the missed "Chinese opportunity." During the years when Sino-Canadian relations stagnated, the global industrial structure underwent profound changes. China, with the world's largest and most complete new energy vehicle supply chain and the advantage of a vast market, has taken a global lead in areas such as electric vehicles and batteries. Canada attempted to block Chinese electric vehicles with high tariffs, but this did not lead to the growth of its domestic industry. Instead, due to insufficient market and capital, it gradually lagged behind in clean energy and related technologies. More and more Canadian intellectuals have realized that the issue is not how to block China, but how to learn from successful experiences in competition and complement their own shortcomings through cooperation.

Opening the door to pragmatic cooperation

China has always regarded Canada as a partner with potential. Even during the lowest point of bilateral relations, China remained Canada's second-largest trading partner. President Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized that China and Canada have highly complementary resource endowments and economic structures, and should promote bilateral relations based on common long-term interests. China clearly understands that, given geopolitical and diplomatic traditions, Canada is inevitably one of the closest allies of the U.S., but this does not mean Canada can only play a subordinate role. As a member of the G7, if Canada can demonstrate stronger independence and pragmatism in its China policy, it can provide a replicable model for interactions between China and other Western allies. The goal of China's reciprocal countermeasures against Canada is not to showcase strength, but to urge the other party to return to a track based on rules, interests, and dialogue.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Source: GJ

Therefore, this state visit is not just a symbolic gesture, but rather an expectation to build an operational cooperation framework. For example, making beneficial adjustments on tariff issues, establishing a clearer mechanism for resolving trade disputes, and strengthening social-level connections in low-political-sensitivity areas such as green technology, financial cooperation, tourism, and educational exchanges.

Of course, Trudeau's trip is destined to be no easy task. There are still doubts within Canada, scrutiny from the U.S., and unresolved distrust in Sino-Canadian relations, all of which are real challenges. However, the attempt by China and Canada to restart cooperation under the premise of acknowledging differences may offer a more realistic way of coexistence in today's highly turbulent international system.

(Author is an assistant researcher at the Department of Foreign Policy Studies, Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.)

Original Title: "Deep Analysis | Canadian Prime Minister's Visit to China Seeks 'Rational Return' in Foreign Relations"

Column Editor: Qi Xu

Source: Author: Xu Yanzhuo

Original: toutiao.com/article/7595835701808923151/

Disclaimer: This article represents the views of the author."