Key facts
- Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stated U.S. President Donald Trump approved of Canada's capped import deal for Chinese electric vehicles.
- The agreement allows up to 49,000 Chinese EVs annually at a 6% tariff rate, with gradual increases.
- Carney downplayed the absence of a formal bilateral meeting between himself and Trump at the G7 summit.
- Carney indicated they had multiple informal discussions covering trade and other topics.
- The North American free-trade pact is up for renewal on July 1, facing uncertainty.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stated that U.S. President Donald Trump expressed approval for Canada's arrangement to cap Chinese electric vehicle imports. Carney conveyed that Trump likes the structure of the deal, which allows up to 49,000 Chinese EVs annually at a 6% tariff rate, a significant reduction from the previous over 100% tariff. This discussion occurred during informal interactions at the G7 summit, where Carney downplayed the lack of a formal bilateral meeting with Trump, emphasizing that they had multiple conversations on various topics, including trade.
The context of these discussions is the upcoming renewal of the North American free-trade pact on July 1, which faces uncertainty. Canadian officials, including Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc and chief negotiator Janice Charette, have reported progress in meetings with U.S. Trade Ambassador Jamieson Greer at the summit, though LeBlanc has suggested the U.S. might favor annual reviews of the agreement.
Carney's comments were captured on a hot mic as he explained the capped import deal to Trump, who appeared to agree. Despite the lack of a formal meeting, Canadian Senator Peter Boehm suggested that such interactions are common and should not be interpreted as a snub.