Mark Carney only weeks before seeking the Liberal leadership lobbied Beijing’s mayor to “deepen cooperation,” according to official Chinese records.
Carney on October 20 lobbied the Beijing mayor as chair of Brookfield Asset Management, according to an official account by the People’s Government of Beijing, disclosed Wednesday by the Epoch Times.
Carney, the longtime economic advisor to former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, sought to explore “growth potential of investing in China” — yet, according to Blacklock's Reporter, cabinet at the time had censured the Chinese Communist Party for unfair trade practices that would “cripple our own industry.”
“Foreign guests expressed strong confidence in the development prospects and growth potential of investing in China,” said the official account from Beijing’s government, which was issued three days after the private talk.
“Carney highlighted Brookfield Asset Management’s keen interest in seizing development opportunities in China, further expanding its business in Beijing and deepening cooperation with relevant partners in areas such as green finance, fund management and infrastructure investment,” said the mayor’s office.
The meeting came only days after the Liberal cabinet on October 1 imposed 100% tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles in retaliation for predatory trade practices.
“The reality is China has an intentional, state-directed policy of over-capacity and over-supply designed to cripple our own industry,” then-Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said at the time.
“We simply will not allow that to happen to our electric vehicle sector which is showing such promise and in which we have invested.”
Of course Canada needs to be ready for all manner of reactions and we are.”
Carney, selected by the Liberals on March 9 as party leader, and by default replacing Trudeau as prime minister, made no mention of lobbying the Mayor of Beijing.
“You’ve got to understand where China is, where China is going, whether there is any room for partnership in that,” Carney told reporters March 26.
“Look, I am beholden to absolutely no one except the Canadian people. I am here for the Canadian people.”
“Is it your belief we should be increasing our trade with China?” asked a reporter.
“Look, here’s my view on this broader set of issues,” replied Carney.
“We need to diversify our trade as a country. We are over-reliant on the United States. I think it’s a lesson we’ve all learned.”
The Liberal leader then said he considered China an unsuitable substitute for American buyers.
“We want to diversify with like-minded partners,” he said.
“There are partners that we can build deeper ties,” said Carney.
“But the partners in Asia that share our values don’t include China. There’s certain activities we could have with China – we obviously do have a large amount of trade with them – but we have to be very careful, very deliberate, and they need to meet Canadian standards.”
