Canada strives to appease its neighbor – Opinion

Canadian Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said Friday that the three members of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement believe there is an opportunity for them to “work together to have a fully aligned policy towards of China”.

Apparently, this policy is intended to “protect all of our workers and ensure that we support each other in this truly important effort.”

According to the official website of the US Trade Representative, the USMCA, which took effect in 2020 to replace the 25-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement, aims to support mutually beneficial trade leading to freer markets, to fairer trade and a robust economy. growth in North America.

However, as early as 2020, when it was recently signed, the USMCA was generally seen as reflecting a strong protectionist trend that limited trade and investment both within the region and beyond.

The fact is that the deal fails to resolve trade issues and disparities between the United States and its two neighbors, and Freeland’s words are actually a response to the United States brandishing its protectionist club against their two neighbors, rather than against China. did.

Freeland’s remarks show she wants to shift the next U.S. administration’s attention away from Canada and toward China.

China was reportedly one of the topics of the meeting between the US president-elect and the visiting Canadian Prime Minister on Friday in the seaside resort of Mar-a-Lago, Florida.

The foreign ministers of China and Canada have met three times this year, in Munich, Beijing and Lima respectively, and have maintained close communication through other channels. In all these exchanges, the Canadian side has clearly expressed its commitment to promoting bilateral relations.

In other words, Canada is trying to please a power that is swinging a protectionist club against it while harming a nation that has frequently interacted with it to improve bilateral relations.

Reckless is the politest way to describe his approach.