Can Carney succeed in China? History is not on his side
Amidst tectonic geopolitical change, is it even possible for Carney and Xi to set a new workable relationship?
For its part, Ottawa has already signalled that Canada no longer views China as an “increasingly disruptive global power.” The new phrase is “strategic partner” — reviving a 2005 framework that laid dormant during years of tensions between the two countries.
That’s an interesting characterization, given China’s other strategic partners: Russia and North Korea.
Canada’s own past futilities — including years of efforts to expand market access in China, often by acquiescing to Beijing’s demands — have yielded scant rewards. Carney’s “pragmatic recalibration” of the relationship is unlikely to fare better, as Beijing grapples to revive its own economy crippled by slumping consumer confidence.
China is not Canada’s strategic partner. At best, we are competitors; at worst, Beijing poses a systemic challenge to the fragile rules-based international order we claim to uphold.
As Mark Carney prepares to pursue fair trade with a regime whose values are well known, Canadians must ask themselves: Which path do we take?
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