关税战，加拿大必须与中国和印度达成贸易协定

关税战，加拿大必须与中国和印度达成贸易协定

为应对美国不断升级的关税，加拿大必须加倍努力，与中国和印度达成贸易协定

https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/canada-must-redouble-efforts-to-secure-trade-agreements-with-china-and-india-in-response-to/article_dc0a88c8-fb72-4e73-8812-c8b7e86ac20d.html

Jaime Watt 2025年8月10日

Jaime Watt是Navigator Ltd.的执行董事长，也是保守党战略家。他也是《星报》的自由撰稿专栏作家。@jaimewatt。

渥太华新任贸易部长Maninder Sidhu最近告诉加拿大新闻社，他的电话一直响个不停，充满了商机。

他表示，他正在寻求在南美、东南亚、非洲及其他地区达成新的协议。

他还表示，他计划访问巴西，重启贸易谈判。

他指出，加拿大正在考虑与其他国家达成“特定行业协议”，而不是涵盖多个行业的包罗万象的贸易协议。用他的话说：“我们正在非常有创意地探索如何打开更多大门。”

这种雄心壮志无可挑剔，因为它遵循了自今年1月唐纳德·特朗普连任以来，每一位政界评论员和经济学家都挂在嘴边的口号：多元化。

只有一个问题。

Sidhu 所关注的这些国家——甚至整个大洲——的GDP总量，与真正的经济超级大国——印度、中国和美国的市场影响力相比，几乎微不足道。

这并不是说该策略是错误的或没有价值。这并不是说西杜忽视了更大的参与者——印度和中国显然在他的关注范围内（加美贸易属于多米尼克·勒布朗的档案）。

而是说，我们不能只关注边缘问题，而忽略了主要事件。

大多数评论员在对加拿大与美国陷入僵局的谈判进行无休止的剖析时，忽略了这一点：谈判未能完成的原因是唐纳德·特朗普仍在忙于与中国和印度的谈判。

他优先处理这两个国家是有原因的。

这两个国家是高风险的。好处更大，坏处也更危险。在任何谈判中，你都要先处理好主菜，然后再处理配菜。

当然，加拿大不能假装自己是主菜。在确定贸易优先事项的顺序方面，我们没有美国那样的筹码或灵活性。但这这并不意味着我们可以忽视基本面。

我们必须优先考虑与中国和印度重新建立联系——不仅因为它们的规模，更因为它们是美国市场的关键制衡力量。

虽然我们与欧洲在外交和经济方面取得了有意义的进展，但我们对这两个对我们长期多元化至关重要的经济体的战略关注却远远不够。

我们与中国之间仍然深陷针锋相对的贸易战。今年3月，北京方面对加拿大征收电动汽车、钢铁和铝关税进行报复，对我们的农产品出口征收了新的关税。

在加拿大领土上发生一起据称的暗杀事件后，我们与印度的外交关系仍然处于困境之中。是的，安全谈判已经重启。是的，莫迪接受了马克·卡尼的邀请，参加了在阿尔伯塔举行的七国集团峰会。是的，冰雪正在融化——但水温仍然太低。

但现在我们有了共同点。由于印度与俄罗斯贸易往来日益加深，他们也落入了特朗普的瞄准镜——面临对印度商品征收50%关税的局面。尽管多年来一直在外交上试图将印度定位为制衡中国的战略力量，但上个月，特朗普却将印度经济斥为“已死”。

换句话说，机遇来了。

所以，底线是：加拿大根本承受不起与世界几大贸易强国脱节的后果。

任何一次南美贸易之行——尽管可能很有价值——都无法填补这一空白。

让我明确一点：这并不是对南美或全球南方国家的排斥。这些关系至关重要。在新兴市场达成针对特定行业的协议是值得的，也是必要的。这也不是说我们可以忽视美国——我们最大的贸易伙伴和我们一体化经济的基石。随着《加拿大美国制造法案》（CUSMA）将于2026年接受审查，我们现在采取的每一步都必须经过深思熟虑，以确保加拿大能够以强势姿态参与这些谈判。

30年来，Maninder 一直与妻儿相依为命，视布兰普顿为家。

秉承着 Maninder 成长过程中秉持的价值观，Maninder 坚信人应该尽己所能做好事。Maninder 积极投身慈善事业，包括指导有抱负的年轻企业家。此外，他还创立了“善良运动慈善机构”（The Kindness Movement Charity）。该慈善机构致力于帮助印度和加拿大的贫困学童和弱势群体。

Maninder 从滑铁卢大学毕业后，创立了一家成功的报关公司。如今，Maninder 怀着对所获机遇的感激之情，决心帮助这里的年轻人在家乡和家人身边取得更大的成功。

Maninder 深知如何壮大我们的中产阶级，创造高薪新工作，并为家庭提供真正的帮助。他坚信，释放我们才华横溢的年轻人和企业家的潜力，并打造新的本土企业和公司。

Maninder 将努力确保每一位年轻人都能享有和他一样的机会，在我们的家乡生活、工作和养家糊口。他很荣幸能够成为布兰普顿东区的国会议员，并决心更加努力地为我们社区的家庭服务。

Canada must redouble efforts to secure trade agreements with China and India in response to escalating U.S. tariffs

https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/canada-must-redouble-efforts-to-secure-trade-agreements-with-china-and-india-in-response-to/article_dc0a88c8-fb72-4e73-8812-c8b7e86ac20d.html

 

y Jaime Watt  Aug. 10, 2025

Jaime Watt is the executive chairman of Navigator Ltd. and a Conservative strategist. He is a freelance contributing columnist for the Star. @jaimewatt.

Ottawa’s new trade minister, Maninder Sidhu, recently told The Canadian Press his phone has been ringing off the hook with opportunities.

He shared that he’s looking to strike new deals in South America, Southeast Asia, Africa and beyond.

He added that he plans to visit Brazil to revive trade talks there.

He noted that Canada is considering “sector-specific agreements� with other countries — instead of broad, catch-all trade deals that span multiple industries — and, in his words: “We are getting very creative in how we can open up more doors.

You can’t fault the ambition because it follows the watchword that’s been on the lips of every political talking head and economist since before Donald Trump was reinaugurated this past January: diversification.

There’s just one problem.

The entire GDP of the countries — and even continents — Sidhu is focused on barely register compared to the market gravity of the true economic superpowers: India, China, and the United States.

This isn’t to say the strategy is misguided or unworthy. And it’s not to suggest Sidhu is neglecting the bigger players — India and China are clearly on his radar (Canada-U. S. trade falls under Dominic LeBlanc’s file).

But it is to say we cannot afford to fixate on the margins while the main event goes ignored.

What most commentators have missed in the endless autopsy of Canada’s stalled negotiations with the U.S. is this: the reason the talks are incomplete is because Donald Trump is still busy with China and India.

And there’s a reason he’s handling those first.

They are the high-stakes tables. The upside is bigger. The downside is riskier. And in any negotiation, you deal with the main course before you turn to the side dishes.

Of course, Canada can’t pretend to be the entrée. We don’t have the same leverage or flexibility as the U.S. when it comes to sequencing trade priorities. But that doesn’t mean we get to ignore the fundamentals either.

We must prioritize re-engagement with China and India — not only because of their scale, but because they are the key counterweights to the American market.

While we’ve made meaningful diplomatic and economic strides with Europe, we’ve placed far too little strategic focus on the two economies that matter enormously to our long-term diversification.

With China, we remain locked in a tit-for-tat trade war. In March, Beijing retaliated against Canadian tariffs on electric vehicles, steel, and aluminum by slapping new duties on our agricultural exports.

With India, we remain in diplomatic purgatory following the fallout from an alleged assassination on Canadian soil. Yes, security talks have restarted. Yes, Modi accepted Mark Carney’s invitation to the G7 in Alberta. Yes, the ice is thawing — but the waters are still far too cold.

But now we share something in common. Thanks to India’s deepening trade with Russia, they too have landed in Trump’s crosshairs — facing a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods. And last month, despite years of diplomatic overtures to position India as a strategic counterweight to China, Trump dismissed their economy as “dead.

In other words, opportunity knocks.

So, the bottom line is this: Canada simply cannot afford to be out of sync with the world’s largest trading powers.

No trade trip to South America — valuable though it may be — can come anywhere close to filling that gap.

Let me be clear: this is not a dismissal of South America or the Global South. Those relationships matter. Sector-specific agreements in emerging markets are worthwhile and necessary. Nor is it to suggest we can take our eye off the United States — our largest trading partner and the bedrock of our integrated economy. With CUSMA up for review in 2026, every step we take now must be calculated to ensure Canada heads into those negotiations from a position of strength.

But if we’re going to “get creative� about opening doors, let’s start with the ones that matter most.

Because no matter how many side doors we manage to pry open, if the front gates to the likes of Beijing and New Delhi remain closed — our economy will miss out on the growth and scale only those markets can offer.

 

 

About Maninder Sidhu

Maninder Sidhu is your Member of Parliament for Brampton East. He is a husband, father, entrepreneur, philanthropist and someone who is passionate about making Brampton a better place. Maninder has lived in Brampton for the past 30 years and today, still calls Brampton home alongside his wife and children.

Building on the values that Maninder was raised on, Maninder firmly believes that one should do all the good that you can. Among many philanthropic endeavors, including mentoring aspiring young entrepreneurs, Maninder is the founder of The Kindness Movement Charity. This charity assists underprivileged school children and the less fortunate in India and here in Canada.

After graduating from the University of Waterloo, Maninder built a successful customs brokerage business. Today, motivated by gratitude for the opportunities he has had, Maninder is determined to help young people here find more success, close to home and their families.

Maninder knows what it takes to strengthen our middle class, create well-paying new jobs, and offer real help to families. He believes in unlocking the potential of our talented young people and entrepreneurs and build new, home-grown businesses and companies.

Maninder will work to ensure every young person has the same opportunity he has had to live, work and raise a family in our hometown. He feels humbled and grateful to be your Member of Parliament for Brampton East — and he is determined to work even harder for families in our community.