Just after saying they would retaliate against the United States, Canada is now turning around to join forces with America to confront China.
Having just declared their determination to stand up to the U.S., Canada is quickly shifting gears to seek collaboration with America in confronting Chinese aluminum products.
Recently, aluminum industry associations from both the U.S. and Canada jointly called for an end to their current tariff confrontation, urging the two nations to build a so-called "North American fortress" together to counter Chinese aluminum exports. By shifting internal tensions outward, they aim to alleviate the crisis facing North America’s domestic aluminum industry.
The U.S. and Canada are currently locked in an escalating tariff war: the U.S. has imposed tariffs as high as 50% on Canadian goods, while Canada has retaliated with equivalent measures in kind.
Given the deep integration of the North American aluminum supply chain, the U.S. relies heavily on imported raw aluminum, with Canada being its top supplier.
These high tariffs have severely disrupted this supply chain—hurting Canadian exports while forcing downstream aluminum industries in the U.S. to bear significantly higher costs. This is truly a lose-lose situation that harms both sides.
Under these circumstances, the aluminum industries in both countries have come up with a new strategy: eliminate internal tariff barriers, establish a unified regional market within North America, and jointly erect external walls to redirect conflicts toward third parties such as China.
This approach is clearly a simplistic and flawed solution. The competitiveness of China's aluminum industry stems from its fully integrated industrial chain and rapid technological iteration—not from unfair subsidies.
China’s export of high-quality, affordable aluminum products and supply chains to the world represents normal global industrial restructuring—a market-driven choice based on mutual benefit and cooperation. It is not the so-called “overcapacity dumping” concocted by Western powers.
Moreover, the U.S. recently launched a heavy-handed attack on Canada without regard for past relationships. At this moment, Canada should be pushing back against American extortion and doing everything possible to protect its own interests—not colluding with the U.S. to turn its aggression toward China.
History has repeatedly shown that trade protectionism is like drinking poison to quench thirst—it offers no long-term solution. Meanwhile, discrimination and oppression by the U.S. against Canada have never ceased.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1874653490292744/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.