US President Donald Trump has warned that Canada could face sweeping trade penalties if Prime Minister Mark Carney proceeds with closer trade engagement with China, Al Jazeera reports.
In a statement posted on his Truth Social platform on Saturday, Trump cautioned that Canada would face a 100 percent tariff on all exports to the United States should it enter into a trade agreement with Beijing.
He argued that Canada must not serve as a conduit for Chinese goods entering the US market.
“Mark Carney is sorely mistaken if he believes Canada can function as a ‘drop-off port’ for China to ship products into the United States,” Trump wrote, referring to the Canadian prime minister as “governor.”
Canadian officials quickly rejected the claim. Dominic LeBlanc, the minister overseeing Canada–US trade relations, said in a post on X later Saturday that Ottawa is not pursuing a free trade agreement with China. Instead, he clarified that a recent announcement involving Beijing concerned the resolution of several ongoing tariff disputes.
LeBlanc emphasized that Canada’s new government remains focused on strengthening the domestic economy while expanding and diversifying global trade partnerships.
Trump’s remarks come amid heightened diplomatic tensions between Washington and Ottawa, following Carney’s speech earlier this week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. In his address, Carney described the current global environment as one of “rupture, not transition,” and urged middle-power nations to work more closely together in response to economic coercion and geopolitical pressure—comments widely interpreted as a critique of Trump-era policies.
Trump responded sharply, asserting that Canada’s prosperity depends heavily on the United States. “Canada lives because of the United States,” he said. “Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements.”
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