German media: Kanj was "stubborn" in Davos, then "softened" with Trump

Since taking over from Trudeau, Canadian Prime Minister Kanj has not been as popular internationally as his predecessor, nor can he match the "daily headlines" of the neighboring president Trump. However, after Kanj's "non-named criticism of Trump" went viral at the Davos Economic Forum, he gained countless followers on social media. Now, Kanj seems to be trying to ease relations with Trump.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent said on Monday, January 26, during an interview with Fox News, that he and President Trump were present in the Oval Office when they listened to a phone call between Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Kanj. In this call, "Kanj very 'positively' retracted some of his inappropriate remarks made in his Davos speech."

Kanj's office did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment on Monday evening.

What did Kanj say at Davos?

At last week's World Economic Forum in Davos, Kanj gave a speech and "spilled the beans" on Trump without directly naming the U.S. and Trump. Kanj mentioned the fact that the rules-based global order has ended, emphasizing that especially middle powers must take action because "if you don't sit at the table, you end up on the menu (to be eaten by others)."

Kanj's speech received long-standing applause from many world leaders and industry giants present.

Trump quickly "fired back" at Kanj

President Trump, known for his "talking back," had already "fired back" at Kanj during his attendance at Davos, criticizing Canada for not being "grateful enough" to the United States. Later, Trump also canceled Canada's invitation to join his "Board of Peace." On Saturday, January 24, the president also threatened to impose 100% tariffs on Canadian goods if Canada continued to advance trade agreements with its competitor China. Kanj responded the next day, stating that Canada has no intention of concluding a free trade agreement with China, saying, "We are only correcting some issues that arose in recent years with China." He also emphasized that the content of the relevant agreement complies with the provisions of the USMCA.

Source: DW

Original: toutiao.com/article/1855485150527497/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.