Finding new partners as the American empire fades

Prime Minister Mark Carney has much to gain during an upcoming trip to China.

It will be the first time a Canadian prime minister has visited Beijing in eight years, and this meeting could not come at a more crucial time. Carney faces a serious challenge in navigating trade discussions with the United States. A best-case scenario on that front still amounts to damage mitigation — it is clear now, to Canada and the international community, that the United States is at best an unreliable ally, and at worst a clear danger to international order.

That means building new partnerships — or salvaging old and damaged ones — has more potential to pay off.

Canada and China have not been on the best of terms, largely due to, frankly, justifiable criticism of China’s government. The relationship between the two countries is still strained after the years-long imprisonment of Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, on top of criticism from Ottawa of Beijing’s human rights abuses. Canada has imposed enormous tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles (100 per cent) and steel and aluminum (25 per cent).

It makes for a steep hill for Carney to climb as he goes to meet China’s President Xi Jinping. Xi certainly knows Carney is in a position where he must cede some ground in order to flatter China and secure a better working partnership. It will mean walking some things back.

Human rights activist Thekla Lit, speaking to the Canadian Press, expressed alarm that Carney would reopen relations with China, and worry that human rights would be of low importance during the meeting.

It’s a worthy concern. We should hope to be able to hold any of our close international partners accountable for their domestic deeds. The idea of ignoring China’s human-rights abuses and anti-democratic activities is distasteful. It is, however, precisely what we have always done with the other superpower to which we have long cosied up.

Before U.S. President Donald Trump began musing about turning Canada into the 51st state and derisively referring to former prime minister Justin Trudeau as “governor,” Canada quite proudly boasted of its long and fruitful relationship with the U.S., including the long, undefended border between the two countries.

But the U.S. was never that virtuous an ally, and its failures have never been met with calls to cut diplomatic or trade ties.

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Canada has remained the U.S.’s friend through the institutionalized segregation of its Black population, through misguided wars against countries which did not attack them (Vietnam, Iraq), and throughout caustic culture-war spasms against Muslims, LGBTTQ+ citizens, and immigrants of all stripes.

The imprisonment of the “two Michaels” severely damaged Canada-China relations. Hundreds of Canadians have been swept up by ICE since Trump’s re-election (one of whom died in ICE custody), and yet we still are not putting 100 per cent tariffs on Teslas.

We are a large country geographically, and rich in resources, but we do not have the population, the military might or the economic heft to manage in the future without strong, stable alliances with countries hungry for what we have to offer.

And as our neighbour to the south begins to insist on its right to essentially bully the entire hemisphere — in essence saying it can even make laws that bind foreign governments on foreign soil — we need allies capable and willing to honour their commitments, trade and otherwise, in the event the U.S. becomes a clear and present danger to Canada itself.

While caution will certainly be necessary as Carney meets with Xi, it is of great importance that the meeting bear fruit.