Carney caught on hot mic pitching Chinese EV import deal to Trump at G7 – National
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Mark Carney appeared to be trying to get US President Donald Trump on board with Canada’s plan to import a limited number of Chinese electric vehicles during the G7 Summit in France.
Before a working lunch between world leaders, which focused on overcoming the world’s problems, Carney moved on to a sitting Trump who was caught in a hot microphone.
At first, Carney appeared to notice a watch left on the table by French President Emmanuel Macron, whose chair was next to Trump’s at the round table, prompting Carney and Trump to joke about taking it.
“He left his watch here. We have his watch,” Carney said, to which Trump replied: “Give it to me when he goes, gimmie.”
About 30 seconds later, the microphone picked up Carney talking about a deal he made during his trip to China in January, which will see Canada import up to 49,000 Chinese EVs at a reduced tariff as part of a broader economic and strategic cooperation agreement.
“Less than three percent of our market, 49,000 cars,” Carney was heard saying. “It’s a cap, we closed, a hard line … I thought you’d like that.”
Trump was then heard to say, “That’s good, I love you,” before turning his back and Carney walking away.
The deal with China has raised concerns for the Trump administration, as Trump himself has threatened new tariffs and said he will not allow Canada to become a “dumping port” for Chinese cars entering the US.
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The Chinese EV deal partially reversed Canada’s 100 percent tariff on all EV imports from China, which was intended to match the U.S. In exchange, China suspended its retaliatory tariffs on Canadian agricultural products.
Canada-US Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc, who met with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on the sidelines of the summit on Tuesday, later told reporters that the issue of Chinese EVs was not raised as a trade irritant in the talks.
“This was one of the issues that the prime minister discussed with President Trump during the day today,” he said when asked about this heated moment, adding that the information Carney provided to Trump is nothing new.
“This should not surprise anyone that the prime minister used this opportunity to discuss a situation that has been known for many months.”
The Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association, which represents the operations of Ford, General Motors and Stellantis in Canada, has urged Ottawa to scrap the China deal because it fears it will hurt the North American auto industry.
China is heavily subsidizing its EV industry, making the cars an affordable option compared to EVs built in North America, Asia and Europe.
Concerns have also been raised about the technology used by Chinese EVs and the potential for the Chinese government to access consumer data, prompting critics to call EVs “rolling spy cars.”
In May, two US Democrats from Michigan announced legislation that would ban Chinese-made vehicles from entering the US, calling them national security and surveillance equipment.
More than 2,900 Chinese EVs entered Canada in May, data from Global Affairs Canada shows, marking the first wave of imports under the new agreement.
A federal government memo obtained through the Access to Information Act and first reported by The Canadian Press urges Canadians to be aware of the privacy risks of the digital devices they buy and use.
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