As the China-US relationship faces major headwinds due to unilateral actions on each side, it appears lost on both countries that their respective allies have become collateral damage. As they build coalitions to support their respective positions, they may end up isolating themselves from the wider international community. Canada can certainly attest to the impact these tensions have had on its relations with both China and the United States. Domestically, it is seeing the rise of partisan politics at a level not witnessed since the communist scare of the 1950s. It is high time that China and the US reviewed the modus operandi of their engagement before it does irreversible damage to themselves and their allies. Canada has found itself in a very difficult position ever since the US administration under former president Donald Trump decided to get tough with China concerning what it perceived as unfair trade practices. The arrest of Meng Wanzhou – the daughter of Ren Zhenfei, founder and CEO of the telecommunications conglomerate Huawei, and a top official of the company in her own right – triggered the escalation of tensions. The arrest was carried out at Vancouver International Airport in December 2018, at the request of US officials, for allegedly being instrumental in breaching US sanctions against Iran. Meng has been fighting extradition to the US ever since. In what appears to be a tit-for-tat response, the Chinese government ordered the detention of two Canadian nationals on charges of breaching national security laws. They have since been tried in Chinese courts. A verdict has yet to be rendered, but the outcome appears to be a foregone conclusion. The two nationals, known as the “two Michaels” – Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig – have now been detained in excess of 900 days. It is widely believed that the charges are being used to pressure Canada into releasing Meng. Canada has stated that it is following the rule of law in enforcing the extradition treaty with the United States. Legal experts, including a retired Supreme Court of Canada judge, have argued that it is within the prerogative of the Canadian justice minister to release Meng and allow her to return home. The election of a new US administration appears to have had no effect on the situation. Canada’s duty lies in freeing Kovrig and Spavor from China The impact of this situation on Canadian public opinion has been unprecedented. Mounting evidence that China is involved in harassing groups opposed to its actions in Xinjiang and Hong Kong has not helped. Opinion makers against further development of Canada’s relationship with China have had a field day. Proponents of a balanced but clear-eyed relationship with China have been made the object of opprobrium in the media. The turn of events in this confrontation between China and the US will surely lead to a review of Canadian policy vis-à-vis both China and the US. It is unclear at this point who might benefit from such a reassessment as Canada stands to lose a lot, no matter which side it leans on. Unilateral actions by the US against China under the previous administration have already led to subtle but no-less-real change among Western European allies. While members of the G7 and Nato have lined up behind the US at the conclusion of both their recent summits, statements by French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel away from both events suggest that their commitment is not firm. It appears that these subtle divergences will remain no matter who is in the White House. China, on the other hand, has appeared unwilling to compromise on its stand. It believes that time is on its side and that, eventually, US allies will rally or face the consequences. Given that Canada and Western European countries have been traditional allies of the US, any reassessment of their respective relationship with both powers may be to the detriment of the US. Canada has already realised that US-Canada relations will never be as they were. Renegotiation of the North American free trade agreement under the Trump administration was just one indication of it. The Meng Wanzhou affair is one more example that the relationship is no longer special and that it does not protect Canada from the impact of US actions abroad. The official reasons offered by the US for arresting Meng were never very persuasive. The sanctions against Iran were not endorsed by the European partners, as their removal was tied to the nuclear agreement. The Trump administration’s unilateral withdrawal from the agreement was seen as capricious and detrimental to future stability in the Middle East. How US, China can thrive by being more like each other In this context, given that China is an important ally of Iran, the Trump administration may have thought it was “killing two birds with one stone”. However, it failed to appreciate the longer-term impact of this unilateral behaviour on its relationship with both Europe and Canada. Meng’s arrest has outlasted its usefulness in the United States’ confrontation with China. Her continued detention and an uncertain outcome at the conclusion of the court proceedings can only hurt prospects for China and Canada. At this point, it would be desirable for the US to withdraw its request for her extradition and allow a quid pro quo to take place with the release of Spavor and Kovrig. The US could salvage some political capital in both Beijing and Ottawa, which it will need to further its international objectives in the long term. Richard Desjardins retired in 2020 after a 29-year career as a Canadian public servant