US Senator Brian Schatz criticized the Canada-China trade agreement announced Friday, saying Washington’s deteriorating relationship with Ottawa led to a foreign policy failure with economic consequences.
“We just got absolutely rolled in this Canada – China deal,” Schatz, a Democrat from Hawaii, wrote on X. “A stark foreign policy failure with domestic economic consequences.”
The senator blamed the outcome on the Trump administration’s hostile approach toward Canada.
“The most basic principle in politics and geopolitics is loyalty to friends. And we weren’t just disloyal – we were hostile. So here we are,” Schatz added.
Shortly after, Schatz retweeted a post from Bloomberg journalist Joe Wiesenthal, who wrote, “Who is the target for this kind of whining? They did it. It happened.”
“It happened because Canada doesn’t view the US as a stable trading partner, because of Trump. Come up with any story that you want,” Wiesenthal added.
Strained Relations
President Donald Trump has imposed steep tariffs on Canada, cut off trade talks, and mused about making the nation of 40 million people “the 51st state.”
After following Washington in 2024 in slapping a 100% tariff on Chinese electric vehicles, Canada announced Friday it will allow up to 49,000 Chinese EVs into its market at a tariff rate of 6.1%.
In return, China will slash duties on Canadian canola products to 15% from more than 80%.
The agreement was reached during Prime Minister Mark Carney’s state visit to Beijing.
A few hours after the announcement, Carney wrote on X: “We’re recalibrating Canada’s relationship with China — strategically, pragmatically, and decisively — to the benefit of the people of both our nations.”
Mixed Signals From Washington
Trump endorsed Canada’s decision during a brief media appearance at the White House on Friday.
“Well, it’s okay. That’s what he should be doing,” Trump said. “I mean, it’s a good thing for him to sign a trade deal. If you can get a deal with China, you should do that.”
The comments came hours after US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer criticized the Canadian agreement as “problematic” and suggested Ottawa may regret the deal “in the long run.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford also criticized the federal government’s decision, warning the agreement gives Beijing a “foothold in the Canadian market” and puts the province’s auto industry at risk.
Bipartisan Opposition
Lawmakers from both major US parties have expressed strong opposition to Chinese vehicles entering the American market, with major automakers warning China poses a threat to the domestic auto sector.
Ohio Senator Bernie Moreno, a Republican, said he was firmly opposed to Chinese vehicles being sold in the US.
“As long as I have air in my body, there will not be Chinese vehicles sold in the United States of America — period,” Moreno said, as first reported by Reuters.
BYD, which surpassed Tesla as the world’s largest electric vehicle maker in 2025 with 2.26 million deliveries compared to Tesla’s 1.64 million, has expanded aggressively across Latin America and Europe but has yet to announce US plans.
Earlier this week, the WSJ reported that Ford is in talks with BYD over a battery supply deal as the Detroit automaker shifts its focus to hybrid vehicles.
