China’s state-owned Global Times recently expressed amusement over the exchange between Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. The publication encouraged Carney to reinforce his earlier critical statements about the U.S., which Bessent claims he has since retracted.
Last week, during the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, Carney criticized the decline of the “rules-based international order.” He didn’t mention Trump directly, but suggested that the President’s tariffs and foreign policy actions contributed to this downfall.
On Monday, Secretary Bessent claimed that Trump was in the Oval Office during a phone conversation with Carney. He stated that Carney “aggressively walked back some of the unfortunate statements he made at Davos.”
In response to Bessent’s comments, Carney maintained that he “meant what I said in Davos” and did not retract anything during his call with Trump. He also mentioned that President Trump appeared unaffected by Carney’s recent trade agreement with China.
The Global Times applaudedCarney’s dismissal of Bessent’s remarks as part of an effort to mitigate dependency on the United States while seeking to diversify Canada’s foreign relationships.
The newspaper emphasized that Carney, who is set to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in April 2025, seems determined not to yield to U.S. pressure. He intends to uphold his strategy of reducing reliance on the U.S. and fostering pragmatic ties with other nations, according to the report.
It suggested that Carney’s approach could inspire other Western leaders to showcase how America’s “coercive strategy” is affecting even its closest allies.
Beijing welcomed Carney’s more outspoken anti-American policies. On Tuesday, he spoke on the House floor after Bessent’s initial comments.
“The world has changed, Washington has changed, and there is very little that feels normal in America today. That’s just the reality,” Carney remarked shortly after reiterating that his call with Trump had a friendly and supportive tone.
The Global Times reported that Trump attempted to persuade Carney to sever connections with European leaders who maintain amicable relations with him, including NATO chief Mark Rutte, who had advised Europe to “continue to build its relationship with the United States.”
“Who will the West need more? Carney or Rutte?” pondered Liu Dan, a researcher at Guangdong University. It’s a question that seems easily answered for anyone concerned about the looming threats from Russia or China.
