Trump cozying up to Xi Jinping could spell trouble for Canada, says Michael Kovrig
Former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig warns that Donald Trump's recent summit with Xi Jinping may undermine U.S. and Canadian interests. Kovrig argues the meeting was largely ceremonial and served to bolster Xi's image as a global statesman without addressing substantive issues.
Why it matters
The analysis suggests that diplomatic optics may mask underlying geopolitical risks for Canada in its relationship with China and the U.S.
Trump rolled out the red carpet this week for Xi in a three-day visit that ended with the two leaders sharing tea at the White House.
The U.S. president has since called the meetings "very, very productive" and said they resulted in "great things for both countries."
But Kovrig, a former Canadian diplomat and the senior Asia advisor for the International Crisis Group, says the visit produced nothing of substance. Furthermore, he says the optics of Trump's cozy relationship with Xi undermine the U.S.'s own interests, and potentially those of Canada.
This week marks five years since Kovrig was released from detention in China. His arrest, along with that of Canadian Michael Spavor, was widely viewed as retaliation for the 2018 arrest of Chinese tech executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver on a U.S. warrant.
Here is part of his conversation with As It Happens guest host Helen Mann.
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