Trudeau is being played by Trump to get what he wants from China

Around the Trudeau cabinet table, it was widely accepted that courting China was Canada’s future. But then, NAFTA had to be renegotiated and soon after Huawei’s CFO, Meng Wanzhou was arrested.

Suddenly, the Trudeau government was caught in a rift between Canada’s traditional and natural ally led by a man it despised, and a belligerent China, and asked a big favour of the former.

And things have not gone well for Canada in this entanglement.

Two Canadians are now detained in China. Our exports have halted. Canadian farmers are now hurting and a Canadian warship has been buzzed by Chinese fighter jets.

Since the China crisis erupted, Trudeau has been cornered, trying to play with Canada’s middle power role, caught between two growling beasts.

The Chinese have played hardball with Trudeau, as the U.S. sits back and watches.

….again with China as our relationship with them continues to be a very good one. The quality of the transaction is far more important to me than speed. I am in no hurry, but things look very good! There will be no reduction in the Tariffs currently being charged to China.— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 29, 2019

Trudeau flew to Washington to meet with Trump to plead with him to advocate for the two detained Canadians. Out of that meeting, Trump publicly promised Trudeau he would raise their case with President Xi at the G20.

Unfortunately, according to media reports that did not happen. It seems Trump does not think he owes the Trudeau government any favours.

Trump is playing Trudeau for a patsy.

Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland keeps telling the public that they have lined up this grand, global coalition to free the two detained Canadians. Freeland might be able to fool Trudeau with this message, but she is not fooling the Chinese.

Trump is refusing to withdraw the extradition request or to take steps to help the two detained Canadians.

Perhaps this is because Trump does not actually want Meng Wanzhou on trial in the United State because he does not want to replicate the breakdown in American-Chinese relations that Canada is bearing.

Trump still “wants a deal” with the Chinese because he sees himself as a deal-maker for his country, not Canada. So Trump is likely quite happy that Meng is stuck in Canada.

The American President probably doesn’t mind that Canada is taking the beating from the Chinese rather than the U.S., and he’s doing everything he can to keep her there.

By now, it is painfully clear that Trudeau has no plan.

As it currently stands, Canada is being pushed around by the new kid in school and our “big brother” ally pretends to care while using us to get what he wants.

Trudeau must stop pretending that Trump will do us any favours and the PM must stop giving China weak and mixed messages.