Canada's deal with China signals it is serious about shift from US

Perceived US Decline and Trump-era Politics

• Many commenters frame Canada’s China deal as a rational response to an erratic US that casually threatens allies (e.g., over Greenland, NATO, tariffs).
• Strong view that Republican leadership chose short‑term personal/electoral power over long‑term US influence; they enabled Trump instead of sidelining him post‑Jan 6.
• Some argue both US parties failed: Republicans by embracing populist autocracy, Democrats by blocking progressives and refusing internal renewal.
• Several see the US on a trajectory similar to late British/Russian empires: burning cultural/moral capital, overusing sanctions and dollar power, and risking irrelevance if it doesn’t “correct course.”

Canada’s Motives and Risks in Pivoting Toward China

• Deal is seen as a hedge against US economic threats and USMCA uncertainty, not a wholesale shift: US still dominates Canadian trade by an order of magnitude.
• Some argue Canada “won” this negotiation because China was eager to thaw relations; others say Canada has little leverage and risks angering a volatile superpower on its border.
• Historical context raised: Canada was once an explicitly anti‑American project; closer China ties revive old anxieties about US annexation or coercion.

Auto Industry, EVs, and Industrial Strategy

• Chinese EV access to Canada (with limited quotas) is seen as:
  • A way to get cheaper, mass‑market EVs where US/Japanese/Korean makers under‑serve.
  • A threat to North American and European auto jobs and to Canada’s Ontario-based auto cluster.
• Debate over whether protection (tariffs, bailouts) only delays structural decline versus enabling an orderly transition (local plants by Chinese firms, updated “AutoPact”-style rules).

Broader Trade Realignments

• Mercosur–EU and Canada–China are cited as evidence of a wider move to trade more with each other and less through US-centered systems.
• Some in Europe welcome diversification; others worry these deals undercut domestic farmers and sovereignty, especially given stricter EU environmental rules versus looser partners.

Dollar, Debt, and Reserve Currency Status

• One thread speculates US might eventually “inflate away” its debt, accepting loss of reserve-currency privilege. Others counter there is no obvious replacement and US still targets low inflation.
• Concern that alienating allies accelerates de‑dollarization, turning deliberate currency weakening into an uncontrolled loss of leverage.

US vs China as Partners/Threats

• Split views:
  • Some say for Canadians/Europeans the US is the more immediate practical threat (border searches, tariffs, political volatility).
  • Others insist China’s political system and repression make it intrinsically worse, and deeper engagement risks importing its influence.
• General cynicism that foreign policy is driven by interests, not morality; “morality” is used instrumentally to justify moves against rivals.

Canadian Domestic Concerns and Demographics

• Canadians worry about expanded police/legal cooperation with China and about aiding CCP influence even as many Chinese-heritage Canadians moved to escape it.
• Demographic shift (large and growing Asian-Canadian population) is noted as a long‑term driver of stronger Asian ties, though diasporas are politically diverse.