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弗裏蘭相信自由黨政府與特朗普團隊在對華政策上“非常一致”
作者：凱瑟琳·勒維克 2024 年 11 月 14 日
https://nationalpost.com/news/chrystia-freeland-canada-very-aligned-with-trump-team-on-china?
弗裏蘭表示，她相信她的政府比特朗普第一任期期間處於更好的地位——她指出了加拿大-美國-墨西哥自由貿易協定
渥太華——副總理兼財政部長克裏斯蒂亞·弗裏蘭認為，中國可能是將新特朗普白宮和自由黨政府聯係在一起的紐帶。
盡管當選總統唐納德·特朗普最親密的盟友對加拿大，尤其是總理賈斯汀·特魯多發表了嚴厲的言論，但弗裏蘭表示，她仍然毫不氣餒地希望與即將上任的美國政府找到共同點。
周三，在加拿大-美國內閣委員會會議結束後，弗裏蘭表示，與特朗普2.0合作的最佳方式是尋求“雙贏的結果”。
“我認為對華立場是加拿大和美國之間明確達成共識和共同做法的領域之一，”她表示，並補充說，這是特朗普和特魯多在美國大選後第二天的談話中談到的話題之一。
弗裏蘭表示，她相信她的政府現在的處境比特朗普第一任期期間更好——她指的是特朗普和前貿易代表羅伯特·萊特希澤談判達成的加拿大-美國-墨西哥自由貿易協定。
“這項協議意味著，與第一屆特朗普政府相比，加拿大與美國的關係更好、更牢固，”她說。
弗裏蘭補充說，另一個顯著的不同是，自談判以來，加拿大對中國的立場“強硬”，指出最近對中國電動汽車征收 100% 的關稅，對中國鋼鐵和鋁征收 25% 的關稅。
她稱這是“正確的做法”，以對抗中國電動汽車產能過剩政策，這些政策旨在淹沒其他市場並破壞加拿大工人和工業。
“這也使我們成為當今世界上唯一一個在對華經濟政策上與美國完全一致的國家，這表明我們的基本經濟利益是如此一致，”她說。
“我們在對華問題上與美國政府非常一致，這對他們來說是一個核心問題。”
自特朗普獲勝以來，弗裏蘭一直帶頭推動政府在加美關係方麵的努力。她會見了鋼鐵、汽車、能源和人工智能領域的領導人，並將於周五會見核能領域的領導人。
加拿大鋼鐵生產商協會主席兼首席執行官凱瑟琳·科布登在一份聲明中表示，加拿大現在“與特朗普第一任政府時期的處境不同”，當時對加拿大鋼鐵和鋁征收了高額關稅。
當時，自由黨政府對一係列美國產品征收報複性關稅，如波旁威士忌、撲克牌和甘草。一年後，關稅被取消。
科布登說：“首先，我們了解到，由於兩國經濟高度一體化，兩國征收的關稅對兩國都有害。”
科布登補充說，加拿大“顯著改進了貿易政策工具，與美國緊密保持一致”，對中國進口產品征收關稅，她表示，她的組織認為這種情況代表著“加拿大與美國合作的機會”。
“話雖如此，加拿大必須努力確保美國政府認識到這些根本性變化，並確保加拿大繼續跟上我們的貿易工具，打擊不公平鋼鐵貿易商不斷發展的做法，”她說。
但特朗普的一些高級助手和親密盟友並不喜歡特魯多和他的自由黨政府，並公開希望保守黨領袖皮埃爾·波利耶夫來接替他。
特朗普的下一任國家安全顧問邁克·沃爾茲長期以來一直批評特魯多對中國的立場，並毫不含糊地表示特魯多必須下台。
5 月，沃爾茲在 X 上為波利耶夫歡呼，稱他“將在 2025 年（最終）打發特魯多下台，並開始幫助加拿大擺脫目前的進步困境。”
特朗普負責政策的副幕僚長斯蒂芬·米勒稱加拿大“越來越專製和專製”，並稱總理是“極左特魯多”。
而特斯拉首席執行官埃隆·馬斯克已成為特朗普最親密的盟友之一，他在自己擁有的X上寫道，總理“將在即將到來的選舉中下台”。
弗裏蘭表示，特朗普團隊的批評對她來說並不意外。
“事實是，我們的政府，甚至許多加拿大人，與即將上任的特朗普政府的許多成員的觀點不同，”她說。
“這絕不會也不會妨礙兩國建立務實、尊重和有效的關係，我們知道情況就是這樣
因為過去就是這樣的。”
國家郵報
calevesque@postmedia.com
Freeland confident Liberal government is 'very aligned' with Trump team on China
By Catherine Lévesque Nov 14, 2024
https://nationalpost.com/news/chrystia-freeland-canada-very-aligned-with-trump-team-on-china?
Freeland says she is convinced that her government is in a better position than it was during Trump’s first mandate — pointing to the Canada-U.S.-Mexico free trade agreement
OTTAWA — Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland thinks China could be the tie that binds the new Trump White House and the Liberal government.
Despite harsh words from President-elect Donald Trump’s closest allies toward Canada and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in particular, Freeland says she remains undeterred in wanting to find common ground with the incoming U.S. administration.
Speaking after a Canada-U.S. cabinet committee meeting on Wednesday, she said the best way to collaborate with Trump 2.0 is to look for “win-win outcomes.”
“I think the position on China is one area of clearly shared views and shared approach between Canada and the United States,” she said, adding it was one of the subjects that Trump and Trudeau touched on during their conversation the day after the U.S. election.
Freeland says she is convinced that her government is in a better position than it was during Trump’s first mandate — pointing to the Canada-U.S.-Mexico free trade agreement negotiated by Trump and former trade representative Robert Lighthizer.
“That agreement means that Canada is on a better and stronger footing vis-à-vis the U.S. than we were with the first Trump administration,” she said.
Another significant difference, added Freeland, is that Canada has “toughened” its position on China since those negotiations, pointing to the recent tariffs of 100 per cent on Chinese electric vehicles and 25 per cent on Chinese steel and aluminum.
She described it as the “right thing to do” to counter China’s policies of EV overcapacity meant to flood other markets and undermine Canadian workers and industries.
“It also makes us the only country in the world which is fully aligned with the U.S. today when it comes to economic policy vis-à-vis China and that speaks to the fact that our fundamental economic interests are so aligned,” she said.
“We are very aligned with this U.S. administration on the issue of China, which is a central issue for them.”
Freeland has been spearheading the government’s efforts on Canada-U.S. relations since Trump’s win. She has met with leaders in the steel, automotive, energy and artificial intelligence sectors, and will be meeting with leaders in the nuclear sector Friday.
In a statement, Catherine Cobden, president and CEO of the Canadian Steel Producers Association, agreed that Canada is “not in the same place” as it was during the first Trump administration, which saw hefty tariffs imposed on Canadian steel and aluminum.
At the time, the Liberal government shot back with retaliatory tariffs on a wide range of U.S. products, such as bourbon, playing cards and licorice. The tariffs were lifted a year later.
“For one thing, we learned that the tariffs imposed by both countries were harmful on both sides of the border as a result of our highly integrated economies,” said Cobden.
Cobden added that Canada has “significantly advanced its trade policy tools to strongly align with the United States” with tariffs on Chinese imports, and she said her organization feels this situation represents “an opportunity for Canada to work with the United States.”
“That said, Canada must do the work to ensure the U.S. government recognizes these fundamental changes and that Canada continues to keep pace with our trade tools to combat ever-evolving practices of unfair steel traders,” she said.
But some of Trump’s top aides and close allies are no fans of Trudeau and his Liberal government and are openly hoping for Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to replace him.
Trump’s next national security adviser, Mike Waltz, has long criticized Trudeau’s stance on China and said in no uncertain terms Trudeau has to go.
In May, Waltz cheered on Poilievre on X, saying he is “going to send Trudeau packing in 2025 (finally) and start digging Canada out of the progressive mess it’s in.”
Stephen Miller, Trump’s deputy chief of staff for policy, called Canada “increasingly authoritarian and despotic” and called the prime minister “far-left Trudeau.”
And Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who has become one of Trump’s closest allies, wrote on X, which he owns, that the prime minister “will be gone in the upcoming election.”
Freeland said the criticism from Trump’s team comes as no surprise to her.
“The reality is that our government and indeed many Canadians have views that are different from the views of many members of the incoming Trump administration,” she said.
“That, in no way, needs to nor will it impede having a practical, respectful and effective relationship between the two countries, and we know that’s the case because that was the case in the past.”
National Post
calevesque@postmedia.com
