Trump has become increasingly concerned about Canada’s ability to defend its Arctic territory and has urged it to strengthen defences.

Prime Minister Mark Carney hailed a “new strategic partnership ”as China and Canada cut tariffs after a meeting with President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Friday.

BEIJING — Canadian leader Mark Carney met China's Xi Jinping this week. The two statesmen talked. Fractured relationships began to heal. And a third man, though he wasn't in the room, nevertheless made his presence clearly known: Donald Trump.

China will in turn cut its own tariffs on Canadian canola products, Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada said in Beijing on Friday.

The president has intensified his criticism of Canada in private conversations with aides in recent weeks over what he sees as the country's vulnerability to U.S. adversaries in the Arctic.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney 's decision to ease trade tensions with China is the latest sign that U.S. allies squeezed by Trump-era tariffs are recalibrating — and in some cases, drifting closer to Beijing.

President Donald Trump set up the joke, and now Canada has delivered the punchline. Today Ottawa agreed to slash tariffs on 49,000 Chinese-made electric cars a year as part of a wider thaw that also lowers Chinese duties on Canadian canola and other farm goods. Prime Minister Mark Carney framed the reset as adapting to “new global realities.”

Canada wouldn’t be the first North American country to allow Chinese auto imports. Mexico has been importing Chinese vehicles for a few years now, including brands like BYD, Chery, and Neta. BYD has been considering building its own factory in Mexico, though those plans appear to be on hold.