Prime Minister Mark Carney takes the Canada case to next week Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, where he will sit down with Chinese President Xi Jinping and press Ottawa concerns over foreign interference. Carney confirmed the meeting at a Montreal news conference, and the encounter will be one of the most watched meetings of the summit.
Why it matters
The summit is the next step in a tour that has already taken Carney to Dublin for the European Political Community summit, where he pushed Canada deeper alliance with Europe. Canada has joined the European Union Security Action for Europe initiative, becoming the first non European country to do so, and the 150 billion euro fund gives Canadian defence companies access to loans for military equipment procurement.
The tariff question hangs over the whole trip. Prime Minister Mark Carney has welcomed Democratic control of Congress, saying it creates a political pathway for tariff repeal, although the duties remain in effect and the legislative hurdles are still high. To override a presidential veto, Democrats would need more than 20 Republicans in the House and 10 to 12 in the Senate.
What happens next
The trade backdrop is also in play at APEC. Canada and India are near the final text of a trade pact, with the sixth round of talks coming up, and Carney is building a network of partnerships that reduces reliance on the United States. China is the largest and most difficult piece of that puzzle, and the APEC meeting will show whether the two sides can talk at all.
For now, the meeting is set and the agenda is public. What it produces will depend on whether Xi engages on interference or deflects it, and whether the tariff pathway Carney sees in Washington survives contact with the new Congress.
The trade question will test the new majority quickly. Carney has welcomed Democratic control of Congress, saying it creates a political pathway for tariff repeal, but the duties remain in effect and the legislative hurdles are still high. To override a presidential veto, Democrats would need more than 20 Republicans in the House and 10 to 12 in the Senate.
