US Democratic Senator Warns Canada to Be Wary of Making Deals With China

Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) in Washington in a file photograph. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

A U.S. Democratic senator says Canada should be cautious of making deals with the Chinese Communist Party, despite relations with the United States being strained.

Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin said in an interview with CBC News on May 10 that Canada should not believe “the Chinese are always the straightest shooters when it comes to national security,” while acknowledging Ottawa is seeking to diversify its trade relationships.

Prime Minister Mark Carney signed a deal with Beijing in January that would reduce Canadian tariffs from 100 percent to the most-favoured-nation rate of 6.1 percent on 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) annually. China pledged to lower its tariffs on some Canadian agricultural products in return.

The United States has imposed a series of tariffs on Canada, including a 25 percent tariff on Canadian automobiles. Carney has since sought to diversify trade with Europe and Asia.

Slotkin, a former CIA officer, said she is concerned that Chinese-made EVs could present a security risk to Canada, as the vehicles are capable of sending 3D video and geolocation data back to mainland China. She said BYD brand vehicles in particular could be “hacked back to Beijing.”

Slotkin and Ohio Republican Senator Bernie Moreno introduced a bill on April 29 that would ban the import, sale, and operation of vehicles made in China.

China has passed several major laws that require companies operating in China to comply with requests from the state for data in certain circumstances, including for national security or law enforcement purposes.

Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said in February that Ottawa would ensure there were safeguards to prevent Chinese vehicles from transferring information back to China.

Industry Minister Mélanie Joly told MPs on the House of Commons industry committee on May 4 that Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon is “working on a regulatory framework when it comes to protecting people’s data in their cars.”

Joly also said Ottawa is ensuring that Canadian farmers and fishers can continue exporting to China in exchange for a “small 2.6 percent quota of EVs coming from China.”

Former CIA Director and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on May 7 at the Canada Strong and Free Network conference that Ottawa’s efforts to pursue closer ties with China were “misguided,” adding that Beijing would “sell your nation’s values down the river in two seconds.”

Pompeo also said Canada should move past the “irritation” in relations with the United States and “remember who the people are that share your values.”

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre told conference attendees earlier in the day that the Liberal government should not turn away from the United States in order to pursue a “strategic partnership” with China.

“We must reject the idea of a permanent rupture with our biggest customer—which buys two thirds of our goods—in favour of a strategic partnership for a ‘new world order’ with Beijing,” he said.