- Trump warns PM Carney’s deal could endanger their economy.
- Carney urges citizens to buy domestic products.
- Tensions arise after Carney criticizes Trump’s Greenland plans.
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Saturday he would impose a 100 per cent tariff on Canada if it struck a trade deal with China and warned Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney that such a deal would put his country at risk.
“China will eat Canada alive, devour it completely, including destroying its businesses, its social fabric and its overall way of life,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“If Canada enters into an agreement with China, it will immediately face 100% tariffs on all Canadian goods and products entering the United States.”
In a video posted Saturday, Carney urged Canadians to buy domestic products, but did not directly mention Trump’s tariff threat.
“With our economy under threat from abroad, Canadians have chosen to focus on what we can control,” Carney said. “We can’t control what other countries do, we can be our own best customer.”
The Canadian prime minister visited China this month to repair strained relations between the two countries and reached a trade deal with Canada’s second-largest trading partner after the United States.
Immediately after Carney’s trip to China, Trump was supportive. “It’s a good thing for him to sign a trade deal,” Trump told reporters at the White House on January 16. “If you can make a deal with China, you should.”
“There is no pursuit of a free trade agreement with China. What has been achieved is a resolution on several important tariff issues,” Dominic LeBlanc, the minister responsible for trade between Canada and the United States, said in an article on X on Saturday.
The Chinese Embassy in Canada said in a statement to Reuters that China was ready to work with Canada to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries.
Tensions between the United States and Canada have increased in recent days following Carney’s criticism of Trump’s pursuit of Greenland.
More pressure on Canadian industries
On Saturday, Trump suggested that China would try to use Canada to evade U.S. tariffs.
“If Governor Carney thinks he is going to make Canada a ‘port of landing’ for China to send goods and products to the United States, he is sorely mistaken,” Trump said, using a title for Carney that refers to Trump’s past calls for Canada to become the 51st U.S. state.
In a second message Saturday, Trump said: “The last thing the world needs is to see China take over Canada. This will NOT happen, or even be about to happen!
If Trump carries out Saturday’s threat, the new tariffs would significantly increase U.S. tariffs on its northern neighbor, adding pressure on Canadian industrial sectors such as metal manufacturing, automobiles and machinery.
Relations between Carney and Trump appeared relatively calm until the Canadian leader spoke forcefully this week against Trump’s pursuit of Greenland.
Carney then called on nations at the World Economic Forum to accept that a rules-based world order was over and cited Canada as an example of how “middle powers” could act together to avoid falling victim to US hegemony.
Carney, during his speech in Davos, Switzerland, did not directly mention Trump or the United States by name. However, the Prime Minister said: “Middle powers must act together, because if you are not at the table, you are on the menu. »
Many of the world leaders and industry titans present at the Swiss conference responded with a standing ovation.
Trump responded in his own speech in Davos, saying Canada “lives thanks to the United States,” a statement Carney rejected Thursday.
“Canada and the United States have built a remarkable partnership in economics, security and rich cultural exchanges,” Carney said in Quebec. “Canada does not survive because of the United States. Canada thrives because we are Canadian.”
Since then, Trump has opposed Canada, withdrawing his invitation to his Peace Council to address international conflicts and the future of Gaza.
After Carney’s election last year, Trump and Carney shared a sympathetic tone. “I think the relationship is going to be very strong,” Trump said at the time.
But Trump this month dismissed the US-Canada-Mexico mega-trade deal – which is due to be renegotiated in July – as “irrelevant”.
Trump has issued numerous tariff threats since returning to the presidency, although in several cases he has suspended them during negotiations or relented altogether. This week, Trump backed away from his recent threat to impose tough tariffs on European allies after the NATO chief and other leaders promised to strengthen Arctic security.
“We hope that the two governments will quickly reach a better agreement that can ease the concerns of businesses who are facing the immediate consequences of increased uncertainty,” Matthew Holmes of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce said in a statement.
