China Tries to Assert Dominance Over Canada After Carney Trade Deal
4th May 2026
Historically speaking, crawling to communists for help has never been a good idea; there’s always a catch. By extension, making trade deals with China and the CCP from a position of weakness usually ends with diplomatic concessions instead of mere economic concessions. That is to say, the Chinese are less interested in economic benefits, and more interested in political submission.
Canadians are about to speed run this lesson after Prime Minister Mark Carney’s “new strategic partnership” formed with China early this year. The announcement has been heralded as a pragmatic reset in Canada-China relations after years of tensions, aimed at diversifying Canada’s trade amid U.S. tariffs under Trump. The goals of the deal include increased bilateral trade, agricultural agreements, currency swaps and energy exports.
The problem is, Carney also wants Canada to maintain its relationship with Taiwan, which the CCP views as a violation of their “One China” policy. Not surprisingly, China is already using their newfound economic leverage to pressure Canada to submit to their demands on Taiwan.