The Globe and Mail reports in its Tuesday, Jan. 27, edition that the Canadian government reassured the United States on Sunday that it is not planning to sign a trade agreement with Beijing, following President Donald Trump's warning of 100-per-cent tariffs if such a pact were made. The Globe's Steven Chase and Jeff Gray write that Canadian Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc stated he had a "cordial and lengthy conversation" with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. He emphasized Canada's commitment, made six years ago, not to pursue free trade discussions with non-market economies, reaffirming its position within the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement framework.
Mr. Trump on Saturday threatened steep tariffs on Canada if it cuts a trade agreement with China.
This marked a complete turnaround from his Jan. 16 comments, where he praised Prime Minister Mark Carney for a tariff reduction pact with Beijing and encouraged him to pursue deals.
The Canadian government has been working to contain a rift with the White House after Mr. Carney's provocative Jan. 20 World Economic Forum speech in Davos, Switzerland, that amounted to a veiled attack on the damage the U.S. President has done to the international rules-based order.
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