Srinagar, Jan 24 — US President Donald Trump on Friday sharply criticised Canada for opposing his proposed “Golden Dome” missile defence system over Greenland, warning that Beijing could “eat them up” within a year as Ottawa deepens trade ties with China.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said Canada had rejected a project that would also protect its territory. “Canada is against The Golden Dome being built over Greenland, even though The Golden Dome would protect Canada,” he wrote. “Instead, they voted in favour of doing business with China, who will ‘eat them up’ within the first year!”
The remarks come amid rising tensions between Washington and Ottawa following comments by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, where he spoke of a fading rules-based global order and criticised tariff coercion.
Speaking at the WEF earlier this week, Trump said Canada benefited disproportionately from US support. “Canada gets a lot of freebies from us, by the way. They should be grateful, but they’re not,” he said. Referring directly to Carney, Trump added, “Canada lives because of the United States. Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements.”
Carney, meanwhile, has defended Canada’s decision to diversify trade partnerships, particularly with China. On January 17, he announced a new trade agreement with Beijing aimed at expanding market access for Canadian exporters.
“We’ve secured a new trade agreement with China — unlocking more than $7 billion in export markets for Canadian workers and businesses,” Carney said in a post on X.
In a statement, the Canadian Prime Minister’s Office said the move was part of efforts to build “a stronger, more independent, and more resilient economy” in an increasingly divided world, calling China a major opportunity as the world’s second-largest economy.
As part of the agreement, Canada will reduce its 100 per cent tariff on Chinese electric vehicles in exchange for lower Chinese tariffs on Canadian agricultural products, CBS News reported. Chinese EV exports to Canada will initially be capped at 49,000 vehicles a year, rising to about 70,000 over five years, while China will cut tariffs on Canadian canola seeds from 84 per cent to about 15 per cent.
Carney said China had emerged as a more predictable partner than the United States. “Our relationship has progressed in recent months with China. It is more predictable and you see results coming from that,” he said, as quoted by CBS News.
Canada currently faces a 35 per cent levy on its goods entering the US, along with a 50 per cent tariff on imported metals and a 25 per cent duty on non-US automobiles.
Meanwhile, US-China trade tensions have seen threats of tariffs as high as 100 per cent, though following a meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, exemptions were granted on a portion of Chinese products until November 10, 2026.
Read more | World order facing a rupture, not a transition: Canada PM Carney