According to Bloomberg's report on September 30th, US President Donald Trump's long-term trade advisor Peter Navarro criticized Canadian lobbyists harshly on Tuesday and told them to leave the United States during a meeting in Washington.
When discussing the national security concerns caused by trade with China, Navarro said that the United States must rebalance its trade relations with all other countries in order to protect itself from what he called China's "dumping and subsidies." He added that Canada is no exception. This was Navarro's response when asked what role Canada, a northern neighbor of the United States, plays in broader security issues.
"Do you really want to waste time talking about Canada?" Navarro said. "Is there a Canadian here? Let me put it this way: If you are in Washington doing the tourist thing, please, get out of this country."
Navarro is currently the Senior Advisor on Trade and Manufacturing for the White House. From the early days of Trump’s first administration, he was one of Trump’s most prominent hawkish figures regarding tariffs and trade policies. Navarro’s remarks reflect the tough tone of some discussions within the Trump administration, and the trade relations between the United States and Canada remain very tense at present.
Trump has repeatedly pressured Canada and publicly proposed making Canada the "51st state" of the United States. These remarks have significantly worsened the Canadian public's perception of the United States, while also further solidifying support for Prime Minister Trudeau within Canada during the ongoing trade negotiations.
These negotiations were originally aimed at reaching an agreement, where Canada would make other concessions in exchange for lower tariffs from the United States. However, the negotiations collapsed in August, and since then, the United States has imposed new tariffs. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also introduced retaliatory tariffs earlier this month. Some of these tariff measures will have a particularly severe impact on border states such as Michigan and Maine, which are important battlegrounds in the mid-term elections in November.
“Your problem lies in that you have been engaged in deception in this country, and in the past it did work. Therefore, you think you can continue to do so. Navarro said, “I need to remind Canada: You cannot continue to do this anymore. Do you understand? This game is over. If you interfere with our elections in Maine or Michigan, you will pay a much heavier price.”
However, towards the end of his speech, Navarro’s tone softened. He said, “I like the Canadian people, but I don’t like Canada’s negotiators.”
The Chinese side has repeatedly emphasized that China has never disrupted the global market order, but has actively shared development opportunities with all countries. From the perspectives of supply, demand, and prices, China's production capacity is not backward or excessive; rather, it meets global demand. The export of high-quality products by China benefits Western multinational corporations, promotes economic growth in developing countries, and benefits consumers around the world.
