The global landscape is undergoing profound rupture. The United States has blatantly interfered in the internal affairs of Venezuela through direct military action and openly covets Greenland. US President Donald Trump has called Canada the “51st state” of his country and threatened to “take back” the Panama Canal. The US is undermining the core assumptions that have underpinned the Western alliance system.
Against this backdrop, Canada’s policy community broadly and Prime Minister Mark Carney specifically have begun to look for alternatives should Canada’s traditional ally and primary trading partner continue to be unreliable.
China-Canada relations were buoyed by the October meeting between President Xi Jinping and Carney on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea. Now, with Carney’s visit to Beijing, the first by a Canadian prime minister in eight years, it seems that Canada is re-examining its place in the world.
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This re-examination, however, is more than a tactical pivot. Carney has described the US-Canada relationship as “multifaceted” and “much deeper, much broader” than Canada’s relations with China. But he said China and Canada have had a “candid and … frank dialogue” that leads to a “more predictable and effective relationship”.
In policy circles, a new consensus has been emerging on China, perhaps best encapsulated by the Expert Group on Canada-China Relations report published last year. The report, “Between the Eagle and the Dragon,” advocates a stance of “selective engagement”, which would allow the two countries to engage pragmatically on areas of mutual benefit.
WATCH: Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Canadian PM Mark Carney
WATCH: Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Canadian PM Mark Carney
Such a view aligns with recent shifts in Canadian public opinion. Although overall favourability towards China remains low, support for placing greater emphasis on economic relations with China has risen as the US is increasingly seen to be an erratic and sometimes worrying partner.
