Canada is pivoting away from its dependency on the U.S. as leadership from Canada’s current government visits China. This visit to China will be the first in nearly a decade, and there are hopes to repair the fractured relationship. With China being the world’s second-largest economy, it is clear that Canada seeks to reduce its dependence on the U.S., especially as tensions grow between the two countries.
The push by the current Canadian government to repair ties with China is part of a larger strategy to restructure its import and export relationships, which have previously been dominated by the U.S. market. The current Prime Minister of Canada has stated his government’s aim to double Canada’s non-U.S. exports in the next decade, especially due to the Trump administration’s tariffs and its constant remarks about Canada becoming the 51st state of America.
A quote from the current Canadian prime minister stated that Canada is focused on building a more competitive, sustainable, and independent economy by forging new partnerships around the world to transform the economy from one that has been reliant on a single trade partner.
From the Chinese perspective, the tariffs that have been imposed by the current U.S. administration have pushed countries like China and Canada to look for new opportunities to strengthen their international cooperation. However, China remains somewhat cautious, as it understands that Canada remains an important U.S. ally due to shared heritage and geography. Therefore, it has stated that there should not be an overestimation of the importance of current developments.
This is a global trend that is occurring, with new leaders who have recently been elected to power positioning themselves toward China, especially as American protectionism grows. Australian leader Anthony Albanese has reset ties since his Labor Party came to power in 2022. Where a trade war had previously ensued, most of these restrictions have been lifted and trade has resumed as before. The British Prime Minister has also sought to repair ties with China since his election success, but there has been little progress on this front.
However, while these developments have been noted for their potential to breathe new life into the Canadian–Chinese relationship, it is still too early to say that there will be any real impact, especially given the bitter collapse of relations that occurred previously.
BakuTiflis 