China assures that its trade agreement with Canada is not directed against third parties after Trump's threats
Beijing's statements come after the announcement of a preliminary pact between the two countries, presented by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney as a "new strategic partnership" and a "preliminary but historic trade agreement" aimed at reducing tariffs between the two countries.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney (File).
China affirmed Monday that the preliminary trade agreement reached with Canada "does not target any third party," after U.S. President Donald Trump, threatened to impose 100% tariffs on Canadian goods if Ottawa deepens its trade ties with Beijing.
"China and Canada have established a new type of strategic partnership. It does not target any third party," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said during a press conference picked up by AFP, in response to warnings issued by Trump over the weekend.
Beijing's statements come on the heels of the announcement of a preliminary pact between Canada and China, presented by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney as a "new strategic partnership" and a "preliminary, but historic trade deal" aimed at reducing tariffs between the two countries.
Carney unveiled the developments during his recent official visit to China.
Washington's reaction
"If Governor Carney thinks he is going to turn Canada into a 'port of discharge' for China to ship goods and products to the U.S., he is sorely mistaken," Trump wrote, again using the term "governor" to refer to the Canadian prime minister.
Trump, the Peace Council and the Davos Forum
The crossover comes against a backdrop of growing diplomatic tension between the two leaders. Last week, Carney received a standing ovation at the World Economic Forum in Davos after warning of a "breakdown" of the U.S.-led global order, in a speech interpreted as a veiled criticism of Trump's foreign policy.
The U.S. president responded the following day during his own speech at Davos and subsequently withdrew the invitation he had extended to Carney to join his Peace Council, a White House-driven body with an initial focus on the Gaza conflict and possible extensions to other international scenarios.
Despite Washington's warnings, China insisted that its rapprochement with Canada is based on bilateral cooperation and is not aimed at affecting other countries, in an attempt to decompress a trade dispute that threatens to escalate regionally.
The preliminary agreement between Beijing and Ottawa provides, in particular, for allowing 49,000 Chinese-made electric vehicles into Canada at preferential tariffs of 6.1%, according to Carney.
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