Washington: United States President Donald Trump on Saturday, January 24, threatened to impose a 100 per cent tariff on imports from Canada if Ottawa proceeds with a new trade agreement with China.
In a post on social media, Trump warned Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney against turning Canada into what he described as a “Drop Off Port” for Chinese goods entering the United States. “If he thinks he is going to make Canada a drop-off port for China to send goods and products into the United States, he is sorely mistaken,” Trump said.
While Trump has waged a trade war over the past year, Canada earlier this month negotiated an agreement with China to reduce tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles in exchange for lower import taxes on Canadian agricultural products.
Trump had initially welcomed the move, saying the agreement was something Carney “should be doing” and calling it “a good thing for him to sign a trade deal.”
Carney’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The threat comes amid an escalating war of words between the two leaders, as Trump’s push to acquire Greenland has strained relations within the NATO alliance. Speaking earlier this week in Davos, Switzerland, Trump remarked that “Canada lives because of the United States,” prompting a sharp response from Carney, who said Canada could serve as an example that the world does not need to bend towards autocratic tendencies.
Trump later revoked Carney’s invitation to join the president’s proposed “Board of Peace,” which he is forming to help resolve global conflicts.
The United States president’s renewed push to acquire Greenland follows repeated remarks questioning Canada’s sovereignty, with Trump previously suggesting that the country should be absorbed into the United States as its 51st state.
He revived those provocations this week by sharing an altered image on social media depicting a map of the United States that included Canada, Venezuela, Greenland and Cuba as part of its territory.
In his message on Saturday, Trump continued his taunts by referring to Canada’s leader as “Governor Carney,” a nickname he had earlier used for Carney’s predecessor, Justin Trudeau. The remark marked the latest sign of the deteriorating relationship between the two leaders.
Carney has yet to reach an agreement with Trump to ease tariffs imposed on key sectors of the Canadian economy. However, Canada has been shielded from the harshest impact of the measures under the Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement, which is due for review later this year.
With PTI inputs