A China Deal That Trades Leverage for Illusion

Canada is diverging from the United States and other allies on China trade policy at precisely the moment when coherence matters most.

Prime Minister Mark Carney heads for a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Jan. 16, 2026. The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick

Commentary

Canada’s newly announced trade memorandum with China has been presented by the federal government as pragmatic statecraft in a turbulent world. Lower tariffs on canola and seafood in exchange for the entry of nearly 50,000 Chinese electric vehicles, we are told, will diversify exports, lower consumer prices, and signal Canada’s independence from American protectionism.