Canada appears to dodge President Trump’s wrath by backing out of China deal
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney appeared to change tack on a free trade agreement with China in the wake of President Trump’s public condemnation of such a move
by Summer Lane | January 26, 2026
Following President Trump’s fiery condemnation of a reported agreement between Canada and China, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has indicated that no such deal is on the table.
“Canada respects our engagements, our commitments,” the prime minister told reporters. “…We have commitments under CUSMA not to pursue free trade agreements with non-market economies without prior notification. We have no intention of doing that with China or any other non-market economy.”
The PM’s statement came after President Trump threatened hefty tariffs against the U.S. trade partner.
“If Governor Carney thinks he is going to make Canada a ‘Drop Off Port’ for China to send goods and products into the United States, he is sorely mistaken,” the president said over the weekend.
He continued, “China will eat Canada alive, completely devour it, including the destruction of their businesses, social fabric, and general way of life. If Canada makes a deal with China, it will immediately be hit with a 100% Tariff against all Canadian goods and products coming into the U.S.A.”
In January, PM Carney negotiated a “strategic partnership” with China to “diversify our trade partnerships and catalyse massive new levels of investment.”
The deal highlighted Chinese access to Canadian markets for electric vehicles at a most-favored-nation tariff rate of 6.1 percent, according to the prime minister’s office. It also included agri-food and trade agreements that, over time, aim to increase Canadian exports to China by 50 percent.
The partnership is significant, geopolitically speaking. It represents an attempt from Canada to diminish its reliance on the United States for trade by instead inviting China into the Western Hemisphere.
However, the Trump administration has relentlessly pursued an expansion of the Monroe Doctrine over the past few weeks, effectively working to secure the Western Hemisphere for the United States alone as national security threats grow globally.
President Trump remarked on Sunday, “China is successfully and completely taking over the once Great Country of Canada. So sad to see it happen. I only hope they leave Ice Hockey alone!”
It remains to be seen if Canada has successfully dodged the president’s tariff threat.
Photo: Adobe Stock
