Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday that he had spoken with U.S. President Trump on January 26, but denied retracting the remarks he was accused of angering Trump at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last week. Earlier, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said that during this call, Trudeau "actively retracted" the statements.
Comments: After Trudeau spoke with Trump, the U.S. and Canada gave completely opposite accounts of whether the remarks were retracted, which is essentially a typical example of American public relations versus Canada's stance on sovereignty. Yellen's claim that Trudeau "actively retracted" his comments is merely a face-saving maneuver by the Trump administration, aiming to cover up the embarrassment of the president being angered and to forcefully create an image of "America's way or the highway." Meanwhile, Trudeau's firm denial is not only about holding onto his domestic political base and avoiding being labeled as "compromising to the U.S.," but also about taking the stance of a middle power and openly refusing to have its diplomatic statements defined unilaterally by the U.S. Behind this seemingly verbal dispute lies the ongoing tension within the U.S.-Canada alliance, between unilateral pressure from the U.S. and Canada's efforts to maintain its own diplomatic independence.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1855533761008648/
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