Jan. 24 (UPI) — Canadian officials might ink a trade deal with China, and U.S. President Donald Trump said that would trigger a 100% tariff on all Canadian goods sent to the United States.
Trump announced the new tariffs would take effect immediately if Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney turns Canada into a conduit for Chinese-made goods intended for the United States.
“If [Prime Minister] Carney 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,” the president said on Saturday in a social media post.
“China will eat Canada alive, completely devour it, including the destruction of their businesses, social fabric and general way of life,” Trump said.
“If Canada makes a deal with China, it will immediately be hit with a 100% tariff against all Canadian goods and products coming into the U.S.A.”
In a subsequent post, the president said the world does not need China to “take over Canada,” and the proposed trade deal will not “even come close to happening.”
Carney met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing last week and made a deal to lower some of the tariffs imposed by one another on some of their trade goods.
China will lower its tariffs on Canadian agricultural products, while Canada will lower its tariff on up to 49,000 electric vehicles that are made in China.
The Canadian government in 2024 placed tariffs on Chinese vehicles in 2024 in a coordinated effort with the United States.
During the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Carney earlier this week told an audience that the international order led by the United States is done.
He criticized the use of tariffs by leading economic powers, which he said exploits the vulnerabilities of smaller nations and their respective economies.
Many viewed it as a thinly veiled criticism of Trump and his tariff policies.
Trade tensions arose between the United States and Canada over the past year as the president has sought to counteract tariffs on U.S. goods sent to its neighbor to the north.
Trump also has suggested making Canada the United States’ 51st state, which rankled many to the north.