US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose 100 percent tariffs on all Canadian goods entering America if Ottawa reaches a trade agreement with Beijing.
"If Canada makes a deal with China, it will immediately be hit with a 100 percent tariff against all Canadian goods and products coming into the USA," Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social on Saturday.
Relations between the United States and its northern neighbour have been rocky since Trump returned to the White House a year ago, with spats over trade and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney decrying a "rupture" in the US-led global order.
During a visit to Beijing last week, Carney hailed a "new strategic partnership" with China that resulted in a "preliminary but landmark trade agreement" to reduce tariffs, but Trump warned of serious consequences should that deal be realised.
The US president called Prime Minister Mark Carney "governor" and said he would be "sorely mistaken" if he allowed Canada to become a "drop-off port" for Chinese products destined for the American market.
"China will eat Canada alive, completely devour it, including the destruction of their businesses, social fabric, and general way of life," he added.
Rhetorical knives
The two leaders have sharpened their rhetorical knives in recent days, beginning with Carney's speech on Tuesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where he earned a standing ovation for his frank assessment of a "rupture" in the US-led global order.
His comment was widely viewed as a reference to Trump's disruptive influence on international affairs, although the US leader was not mentioned by name.
Trump fired back at Carney a day later in his own speech and then withdrew an invitation for the Canadian prime minister to join his "Board of Peace"
"Canada doesn't exist because of the United States. Canada thrives because we are Canadian," Carney said Thursday in a national address, while acknowledging the "remarkable partnership between the two nations."
Trump has also repeatedly threatened to annex Canada, and this week posted an image on social media of a map with Canada, as well as Greenland and Venezuela, covered by the American flag.
The two nations, along with Mexico, are set to host the World Cup later this year
