U.S. President Donald Trump issued a strong warning to Canada, which has moved to improve ties with China, pulling out the hardline card of a "100% tariff."
Trump said on the 24th (local time) on his social media, Truth Social, "If Canada signs an agreement with China, we will immediately impose a 100% tariff on all Canadian goods entering the United States."
In particular, he referred to Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney as "Governor Carney," criticizing, "If he thinks he can turn Canada into a 'drop off port' for Chinese-made products bound for the United States, that is a big mistake."
Trump calling Prime Minister Carney a "governor" is interpreted as a blatant slur that reveals an ambition to annex Canada by regarding it not as an independent nation but as "the 51st U.S. state."
Trump also said, "China will completely swallow Canada, including its corporations, social structure, and way of life," highlighting the risks that closer ties with China would bring.
The remarks appear to foreshadow retaliation against Prime Minister Carney's recent move to seek an economic breakthrough by declaring a strategic partnership with China in response to the U.S.-centered tariff policy and the threat of annexation.
Earlier, Prime Minister Mark Carney visited China from the 14th to the 17th and held a summit with President Xi Jinping. Through this first visit in eight years, the two countries reached a trade agreement that included lowering tariffs on electric vehicles and agricultural products and declared a normalization of relations.