Canada Cozying up to China

[yltlatl]

Perceived slights and misunderstandings are normal features of the United States' relationship with Canada. But Canadians and outside experts say Ottawa's view of Washington now is as strained and combative as anyone can remember.

Partly as a result, Canada is working hard to build up its relationship with China, whose president, Hu Jintao, visited here last month. Some officials are saying Canada may shift a significant portion of its trade, particularly oil, from the United States to China.

Within a few years, China could well import one-quarter of the oil "that we currently send to the United States," John McCallum, Canada's minister of natural resources, said in a television interview last week, just after returning from Beijing. He added that the current trade fight with Washington, over steep import duties on lumber from Canada, gave the negotiations with China "an extra little push."

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/25/international/americas/25diplo.html

So the US is just going to let the Canadian oil go?

[hopeisaplace]

1. freedom could be on the march

in Canada :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Leftist_Warrior]

3. Don't laugh

They are more free than we are!

[hopeisaplace]

5. I'm Canadian lol

:-)

[Leftist_Warrior]

2. Who cares?

Canada is on the right course while our nation is busy making war with the Chinese. We could learn something from them! Why do we let these rethug assholes ruin our dreams of world peace? Why do we let them take us to war for lies?

China would be one of our great allies if the rethugs weren't stearing us towards war with them.

[yltlatl]

6. Allies?

I disagree that China could ever be an ally as long as our economy and foreign policy are based almost entirely on petroleum.

[hopeisaplace]

7. I'm not an expert in this area at all

but with the US owing China so much money, doesn't that in some way "automatically" keep US & China on "forced friendly terms"..

feel free anyone to enlighten me on this subject, I've been quite curious about what the real implications are of the US owing China, Japan and the Saudi's big bucks (I think it's mostly these three countries?)

[MarsThe Cat]

4. Just as long as they don't try and deal away OUR oil sands...

i assume the monroe doctrine extends northward too, no?

[CHIMO]

8. Too Little

Too late.

Canada and China sign strategic partnership, discuss human rights
Last Updated Fri, 09 Sep 2005 18:44:44 EDT
CBC News

In Ottawa Friday, China's President and Canada's Prime Minister announced a formal "strategic partnership" between the two countries, while officials signed a number of bilateral agreements on air and rail transport, food inspection, health research and nuclear R&D.

The two leaders pledged to double trade between Canada and China within 5 years, it's now around $30 billion a year. China is Canada's second-largest trading partner, after the United States.

The more than 1 million ethnic Chinese in Canada are the largest minority of Canada's 33 million people. With the fastest-growing economy in the world and the rapid urbanization of their homeland, the Chinese are hungry for more oil and natural resources, which Canada can provide.

http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2005/09/09/China_Canada20050909.html

The die has been cast. Any further movement by Canada would end up in melting the wax on the PM's wing's.

[Spazito]

9. The Canadian government has the support of an overwhelming

percentage of Canadians on looking at markets other than the US, curtailing sales of oil and gas until the US government pays back the 5 billion owed to us. Canadians are pissed and it takes one hell of a lot to get us to that point!

Here's an article on a poll taken on Canadian's feelings right now:

http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=117247ca-0605-4215-bb84-6c2a9306341f

OTTAWA - Three of every four Canadians believe Canada should restrict oil and gas exports to the United States if the U.S. does not repay the $5-billion in softwood lumber tariffs that were ruled a violation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, a new poll suggests.

On the eve of a key visit to Canada by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the poll also found nearly two-thirds of Canadians see her visit as a "big public relations exercise" and think President George W. Bush and Ms. Rice do not really care about resolving trade disputes between the two countries.

snip

An overwhelming majority of the 1,001 adults surveyed -- 81% -- disagreed with a statement that the United States is Canada's best friend, a secure market for Canadian goods, and that Canada should let the United States keep the billions of dollars in softwood tariffs and move on to other issues.

snip

Seventy-one per cent of respondents agreed with the statement: "I value and respect the United States and its citizens -- it's just that I disagree fundamentally with their government."

more

[Shadowen]

11. Heh-heh.

It's taken a while to get to this point.

Ever since Bush started small and got bigger with the insults (it started with little things, like his making his first official to visit to Mexico when it was a tradition since, I think, Ford or Carter to make it to Canada; then it went to the point that after 9/11, when he was thanking nations, he completely omitted Canada from the list).

[radwriter0555]

10. And doing business with China is perceived as wrong because.... WHY...?

exactly?

And, oddly, the USA has no say over what Canada does with her oil.

Imagine that!

[Shadowen]

12. Here's why.

Because China's record on human rights is as worse than most nations with its economic clout, including the US.

That being said, I have two words. Saudi Arabia.

Everyone does business with them because they have no choice on the matter, so why should Canada shy from dealings with China?

[radwriter0555]

14. Uh huh, Human rights... how are they any worse than what's going on in the

USA right now?

China is working very, very hard to undo the damage of life under Mao. They're working very hard towards becoming a stable force and major player in the world economy. Allied with nations that require them to tweak their own human rights records exposes them to cultures that require they mitigate the circumstances of the past and look to the future.

China in and of itself isn't some big evil entity. People who ran it for a long time were. Old habits die hard.

Let's help change China instead of manifesting and perpetrating the hate forever.

[hopeisaplace]

13. You know, on Bush's visit to Canada

I was watching the event on TV...speeches etc...(here in Canada),

and here's something that has always stayed with me since the speech..

Martin was making a statement ....something to the effect, that Canada is very rich with natural resources but would never consider using these resources for anything other than peaceful purposes (not an exact quote)...I was watching Bush's reaction...when Martin said "Canada is rich with natural resources" (again not exact quote)...Bush looked over towards Martin and I was thinking, maybe Bush wants a "beef" (lol) with Canada? Or did he just find out at that moment we actually have a lot of natural resources, or maybe he didn't even hear what Martin said. The whole press conference felt "off".