Canada should choose free trade with China, not US protectionism – Beijing
Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi proposes China-Canada free trade zone to Canadian counterpart and condemns attempts to isolate China on trade
China has called on Canada to join Beijing in protecting free trade and suggested it should not join any protectionist measures, apparently taking aim at the new trade deal between the US and Canada that could potentially isolate China on international trade.
The Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi made the appeal to the Canadian foreign minister Chrystia Freeland during a phone call on Thursday, calling on Ottawa to work with China in advancing a China-Canada free trade agreement.
Beijing’s move came days after the conclusion of talks for the new US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) which effectively gives the United States a veto if Canada or Mexico enters into a free trade agreement with a “non-market economy” – language widely seen as referring to China.
“China hopes Canada will take concrete action to protect a free trade regime with China, and put forward the establishment of a China-Canada free trade zone,” Wang told Freeland, according to the Chinese foreign ministry.
“[China] opposes any kind of protectionism and any behaviour which shows double standards. No attempts that aim at preventing China’s modernisation will succeed.”