US President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that he will impose 100 percent tariffs on Canada if it signs a trade deal with China. He also warned Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney that such a deal would endanger his country. TASR informs about it according to a Reuters report.
- Trump threatened 100 percent tariffs on Canada.
- He warned of the consequences of Canada’s trade deal with China.
- The Canadian Prime Minister called on citizens to support domestic production.
- China and Canada have agreed to reduce tariffs and visa-free travel.
- Canada says it has not entered into a free trade agreement with China.
“China will completely absorb Canada, destroy its businesses, social fabric and general way of life,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social social network.
Trump’s warnings
“If Canada makes a deal with China, the US will immediately impose 100 percent tariffs on all Canadian goods and products imported into the United States,” he warned.
Although Carney did not directly mention Trump’s threats, he urged Canadians to buy domestic products in his video on Saturday. “We can’t control what other nations do, but we can be our own best customers,” he said.
Canada’s prime minister visited China this month to restore strained relations between the countries and reach a trade deal with Canada’s second-largest trading partner after the US. The countries finally agreed to mutually reduce tariffs on their products, and China also pledged to allow Canadian visitors to enter the country without a visa.
Reactions to the agreement
Right after Carney’s trip to China, Trump offered words of support. “It’s good that he signed a trade deal,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “If you can make a deal with China, you should do it,” he emphasized at the time.
However, tensions between the US and Canada have been rising in recent days following Carney’s criticism of Trump’s interest in Greenland.
On Saturday, the White House chief hinted that China would try to use Canada to circumvent US tariffs. “If Governor Carney thinks he’s going to make Canada a ‘port’ through which China will send goods and products to the United States, he’s very wrong,” Trump said, using the title of ‘governor’ as a reference to his previous statements that Canada should become part of the US.
Rejection of intentions
“The last thing the world needs is for China to take control of Canada. That is NOT going to happen, not even close!” Trump said in his second post on the same day.
Canada’s minister responsible for trade between Canada and the US, Dominic LeBlanc, also emphasized on the X platform on Saturday that Canada is not seeking “any free trade agreement with China.” He added that during the negotiations with Beijing they only achieved a solution to a few important customs issues.
