Mark Carney in China positions Canada for the world as it is, not as we wish it'

"Mark Carney's trip to Beijing this week secured what he described as a preliminary but landmark trade deal and a recognition welcomed by Beijing that countries are operating in a new world order. Carney's visit is the first time in nearly a decade that a Canadian prime minister has been welcomed in Beijing. It comes after years of a deep freeze in the relationship between Ottawa and Beijing that Carney wants to thaw, in order to reduce his country's precarious reliance on the United States."

"Guy Saint-Jacques, a former Canadian ambassador to China, said: The main goal of trying to reset or recalibrate the relationship with China has been achieved during this trip. That recalibration comes at a delicate moment for geopolitical alliances between North American countries and China. Mr Carney is driven by a sense of urgency. And this urgency comes from the difficulties that we have with our neighbour to the south, Saint-Jacques said."

"The comment highlights the pressure that Carney is under to diversify his country's exports away from the US. Canada sends about 70% of its exports to the US. But as trade negotiators around the world have learned to anticipate, Trump seemingly reversed course in the hours after the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, and Carney announced a deal. Well, it's OK. That's what he should be doing, Trump told reporters on Friday at the White House."

Mark Carney's visit to Beijing resulted in a preliminary trade deal and a diplomatic recognition that countries are operating in a new world order. The trip marked the first Canadian prime ministerial welcome in Beijing in nearly a decade, following years of frozen ties that Carney seeks to thaw to lessen Canada's heavy reliance on the United States. The main goal of recalibrating the relationship with China was achieved during the trip. The recalibration occurs amid delicate geopolitical shifts between North America and China, and Carney faces urgency to diversify Canadian exports as U.S. rhetoric strains bilateral trade.

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