TORONTO (AP) 鈥� Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Tuesday he told U.S. President Donald Trump that he meant what he said in his speech at Davos, and told him Canada plans to diversify away from the United States with a dozen new trade deals.
Carney rolled his eyes and rejected U.S. Treasury Secretary contention to Fox 91欧美激情 that he aggressively walked back his comments at the World Economic Forum during a phone call with Trump on Monday.
鈥淭o be absolutely clear, and I said this to the president, I meant what I said in Davos,鈥� Carney said to reporters as he arrived for a Cabinet meeting in the capital, Ottawa.
鈥淐anada was the first country to understand the change in U.S. trade policy that he initiated, and we鈥檙e responding to that. 鈥�
In Davos at the World Economic Forum last week, Carney by great powers on smaller countries without mentioning Trump鈥檚 name. The prime minister received widespread praise and attention for his remarks, upstaging Trump at the gathering.
鈥淭he world has changed, Washington has changed. There is almost nothing normal in the U.S. now and that鈥檚 the truth,鈥� Carney said in French in Parliament on Tuesday.
Tariffs and trade deals
Trump threatened this past weekend to on goods imported from Canada if America鈥檚 northern neighbor went ahead with a with Beijing, though Carney has said Canada has no interest in negotiating a comprehensive
Carney said Trump called him and that they spoke for a half hour.
鈥淚 explained to him our arrangement with China. I explained to him what we鈥檙e doing 鈥� 12 new deals, four continents, in six months,鈥� Carney said. 鈥淗e was impressed.鈥�
Trump鈥檚 threat came amid an escalating war of words with Carney. The Republican president鈥檚 strained , alarming Canada, which shares a 3,000-kilometer (1,864 mile) in the Arctic. Trump has also previously talked about making Canada .
Carney has said his recent agreement with China merely cuts tariffs that were recently imposed on a few sectors. The prime minister plans to travel to India, Australia and other countries in an effort to diversify trade away from dependence on the U.S., which takes more than 75% of Canada’s exports.
The is up for renewal this year. Carney has set a goal for Canada to double its non-U.S. exports in the next decade.
At the table or on the menu
Carney has emerged as a spokesman for a movement to link up countries and counter the U.S. under Trump. Speaking in Davos before Trump, Carney said, 鈥淢iddle powers must act together because if you are not at the table, you are on the menu.鈥�
Carney said he also spoke to Trump about Ukraine, Venezuela and Arctic security in his phone call.
Bessent said Carney spoke to Trump on Monday. The Treasury secretary told Fox 91欧美激情 that Carney 鈥渨as very aggressively walking back some of the unfortunate remarks he made at Davos.鈥�
鈥淥f course, Canada depends on the U.S.,鈥� Bessent said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 much more north-south trade than there could ever be east-west trade.鈥�
Bessent said Canada is linked to the U.S. and that Carney should stop trying to 鈥減ush his own globalist agenda.鈥�
Dominic LeBlanc, Canada鈥檚 minister responsible for Canada-U.S. trade, has compared Canada’s recent trade deal with China to an with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea last summer in which the U.S. cut some tariffs on China while Beijing moved to allow rare earth exports and lift a pause on purchasing U.S. soy.
Trump鈥檚 push to acquire Greenland has come after he has repeatedly needled Canada over its sovereignty and suggested it also be absorbed into the United States. He posted an altered image on social media last week showing a map of the United States that included Canada, Venezuela, Greenland and Cuba as part of its territory.
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