Canada

The US has never been a stabilizing democracy. They have been one of the foremost instigators of destabilization for almost a century. And the research is also clear that US citizens' majority policy concerns only get addressed if they align with corporate policy concerns. So neither stabilizing, nor an actual democracy.

My knee-jerk "um actually" response aside, China's ability to strategize at long time horizons lends credence to some of his points. For long-term survival, Canada will need to build multiple independent tradepartnerships to remove any single points of failure.

"Yeah, the person I'm married to threatens me, punishes me, insults me, and doesn't value my consent, but it's better than what the other person could be"

Literal battered woman syndrome. Look, I don't like China or want more trade with them either, but can we please stop pretending doing business with them will be worse than doing business with the U.S.? One keeps their issues much more domestic than the other? I don't see China raising world oil prices by bombing Iran, raising my cost of living with absurd tariffs, or going back on their word.

We struck a deal with them, and they removed duties for our canola, crab, peas, and lobster for us letting in their EVs, which opens us up for job creation should they bring manufacturing operations here. In turn, we were made exempt from visa requirements to travel to China. I can see the benefits of that deal because they up the income of our farmers and fishers, open up job potential, and make travelling across the world easier for us.

That is how you strike a deal. They are reliable, the U.S. is not, plain and simple. If this guy's opinion is that China wants less democracy in the world, then I'd like to point to the amount of dictators America backs and has instated. Let's stop pretending that only one pulls that crap when they both do.

What are we supposed to do, not defend ourselves? China isn't making annexation threats against Canada. They're terrible on human rights records, but they're less overtly dangerous to Canada than the U.S. is with sharing a border. I can't see any future where China tries to annex Canada.

I don’t trust china but I trust the states even less right now. Pretty fucking wild thing to say but that’s where we’re at. Canada should be looking to diversify beyond those two but at the end of the day you have to trade where there is trade.

This guy was a diplomat, but he doesn't understand triangular diplomacy?

Both the US and China suck balls. They're both authoritarian, both have dictators that abuse their power and the people of their countries have accept it because of fascist propaganda about how only a strongman can run the economy and foreigners are trying to screw them over.

The main difference is the distance to those countries. It would be nice if we didn't need to engage with either of these countries, but the US is right next to us so they can't be ignored. So we need to play both sides. Not on every single thing, we don't want to engage with China anymore than we have to, because their regime sucks in the same way the US regime sucks. But if they're willing to fill in any gaps caused by the trade issues with the US, then you gotta do what you gotta do.

While the rest of the world, Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia, South America, are switching to EVs, Canada and the US are fighting over who will build fossil cars. You can't make this up.

How do 'former diplomats' come up with shit like this. Unless it was meant to be propaganda?

Of all the things you could criticize China for... this guy chooses to criticize it for the US acting like a drunk 14-year-old.

Well, I think I see why he lost his diplomat position.

China is better than America because they're way less likely to interfere outside its own borders (yet still do it, hence all the shit in the South China Sea, plus lets not forget Taiwan) and when they do their impact on the rest of the World is much smaller.

That is however, for now.

If things carry on in the direction they seem to be going and China replaces the US as the World's foremost imperial power (the kind of things History shows us invariably happens and is even roughly on schedule), given enough time they'll be as bad as America is now.

As somebody else mentioned when quoting (I believe) a Canadian politician, middle powers should stick together. If you look at the EU, that's basically one of its purposes, which is probably why American Administrations of either color dislike it - it use to be much easier for America to push around European nations, even the mid-sized ones.

stabilizing democracy bloc

I was wondering if the pro-US propagandists are gonna be smart enough to stay silent this close to us hearing the layoffs rumbles at our workplaces but no. Dumb as bricks.

At least the rest of the world is realizing we're enemies now.

I think the Prime Minister who called out that middle-powers needed to stick together if they are to survive is probably aware that jumping out of the fry pan into the fire isn't a good idea. Conversely the Chinese are no worse than the Americans, so Canada all the middle powers need to deal carefully with the 2 superpowers, keep them as much at arms-length as possible, and try to make win-win deals. Something China currently does and the US doesn't while the orangatun is in power.

China is not reliable, but it is somewhat predictable, which the US, currently, is not. (Even assuming that the US government will do the stupidest thing possible in this or any other timeline won't help you with the details, because stupidity is infinite and unfathomable.) This makes China easier to deal with. I don't think Carney is dumb enough to mistake "easier to deal with" for genuine goodwill, though, because my cat is smart enough not to make that mistake. I'm tired of seeing these articles that presuppose the government is too oblivious to know that China is dangerous and has to be handled like a lit stick of dynamite tied to a venemous snake.

Yup this plays right into our adversary’s arms. This type of diplomacy is impossible to defend. Really renaming Lake Ontario?! Wtf man. What are you doing??? This is not helping America or you for that matter. Unnecessary self-inflicted wound.

I'm rooting for Canada

Yeah, no. The happiest dictator is the one from the US.

China aren't reliable, look at what they did to Australia after our prime minister, rightly or wrongly, called for an investigation into the origins of covid

For the record, I don't think Scotty did the right thing, but China's response wasn't justified either

This is pure demonic nazi Canadian establishment platformed propaganda for the purpose of enslaving and oppressing Canadians, and their minds, into the only permissible negotation alternative: Begging only the US for survival. Demonic propaganda of the last 20-75 years must frame your political allegiances. There is no direct US threat, and no future direct US threat, that should ever move you from ultimate devotion to overarching US demonic naziism. No participation by Canada in any future multipolar global order, but especially not permitting Canadians to reconsider nazi US/Israel supremacy as "Canadian values".