cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/7440882
Here is an Invidious link for the video (6 min.) (original is here)
Former Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland doubts the effectiveness of Canada’s trade agreement with China, saying China should not be trusted.
“China today, when it talks to countries like Canada - and I would personally say this is sad - is casting itself as the reliable partner…my own view is we need to be a little bit skeptical of commitments from China.”
“A lot of Canadians are now coming to the conclusion that Beijing can be trusted more than Washington. I think that’s really sad … and it is [also] not in the national American interest.”
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I can understand healthy skepticism, as long as you rember that there is an clear and present danger just to the south.
China’s reliability depends on China’s government in the first place. It has nothing to do with the US nor anyone else. Beijing isn’t becoming better because Washington -or anyone else- is getting worse. The danger for Canada doesn’t come only from the south.
Sure, but we need some kind of deals with somebody, and the states has gone back on several deals in the past year, so it’d be hard to be less reliable at this point.
Canada’s trade with EU countries and similar like-minded democracies in the Indo-Pacific is extremely low, there is a lot of potential. China will use any leverage in the future for political and economic coercion.
If Canada engages in some sort of ‘tit-for-tat’ business, it’s fair enough, but any trade deal will lead to unreasonably high risks for Canada’s independence.