23
JAN
2026
Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney had already noted on Tuesday in his speech in Davos a "break in the world order" and "the beginning of a brutal reality", "in which the geopolitics between the great powers is no longer subject to restrictions". Carney admitted that the so-called rule-based international order, to which the Western states had always referred in recent years and decades, was based on double standards; the trade rules had been enforced "asymmetrically", the law had been applied with varying severity "depending on the identity of the accused or the victim". 1] For the West, this had long been profitable. Today, however, the situation is different for states like Canada. Great powers - Carney did not name the USA - sought to subjugate other states with economic wars. "The question that the central powers are asking is not whether they should "adapt to the new reality": "We have to." Many now draw similar conclusions: they sought to achieve "greater strategic autonomy". Carney, on the other hand, warned against isolation; he, he explained, prefers a "variable geometry" - different coalitions for different interests; an unbound foreign policy.
Canada has now begun to put such a policy into practice. In mid-January, during a stay of Prime Minister Carney in Beijing - the first of a Canadian head of government since 2017 - it concluded a new "strategic partnership" with China. 2] Among other things, this provides for strong cooperation in the energy sector; Carney competed in the People's Republic for Chinese energy investments in his country. In particular, Canada is reducing its tariffs on Chinese e-car imports by up to 49,000 units from 100 to 6.1 percent. In addition, Chinese companies in Canada are to help build e-car supply chains. China, on the other hand, has promised to reduce the high tariffs on the import of Canadian agricultural goods, which it had previously imposed as retribution for the 100 percent Canadian tariffs on its electric cars. Canada wants to increase its exports to China by 50 percent by 2030. Closer political cooperation is also planned; Carney wants to return to the People's Republic for the APEC summit in Shenzhen in November. Ottawa is thus fully esceding the pressure from Washington to break off its relations with Beijing as far as possible. At the same time, it creates alternatives to the overpowering US business.
The fact that the Trump administration achieves the opposite by attempting to brutally subdue Canada and driving the country to cooperate more intensively with China will probably not remain an isolated case. This is indicated by the results of a survey recently published by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR). The survey was conducted in November 2025 in 21 countries worldwide. It shows that in most countries the proportion of those who consider the US as allies with equal values and interests has clearly decreased, in Brazil, for example, from 29 to 26 percent, in Great Britain from 37 to 25 percent.[ 3] The proportion of those who see China as such an ally has risen – from 24 to 27 percent in Brazil, in India, where rejection of China is traditionally widespread, from 11 to 22 percent. In almost all countries, more people saw the People's Republic as an ally or Partners as rivals or even opponents. While Washington's allies repeatedly worried about "falling victim to the predatory USA", "the world seems to be becoming more open to China", the ECFR stated and overwrote the evaluation of his survey with "How Trump is making China great again".
In fact, steps that are similar to those of Canada are now also emerging in other Western countries. For example, according to reports, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is planning a visit to Beijing next week, which, according to several insiders, the "golden era" of British-Chinese economic relations, which was celebrated about a decade ago, will be revived. On Tuesday, London approved the plans to build China's largest embassy in Europe in the traditional Royal Mint Court - in the immediate vicinity of the Tower of London. This was considered by the Chinese side as a necessary gesture of good will to help bilateral relations to rescent.[ 4] On the sidelines of Starmer's planned visit to Beijing, the "UK-China CEO Council" is to be relaunched, a prominently staffed economic forum that was originally established in 2018, but was then shut down. According to reports, corporations on the British side such as the major bank HSBC, the oil company BP, Rolls Royce and the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca are interested in participating, on the Chinese side, for example, the Bank of China Mobile and the electric car manufacturer BYD. Observers point out, however, that disturbances and interventions by external forces are still possible.[ 5]
It is unclear how Germany and the EU behave. On the one hand, Brussels is approaching Beijing with electric cars. While the EU Commission imposed tariffs on the import of Chinese electric vehicles in November 2024 - "in step with the USA", as observers state [6] - it has re-saddled last week, set aside the tariffs and introduced rules that operate with a minimum price for electric cars imported from China: "an unexpected rapprochement", it is said. On the other hand, the EU Commission is working to ban all components of the Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE in a new cybersecurity regulation, which exacerbates the conflict with China again. 7] According to reports, Chancellor Friedrich Merz will travel to China at the end of February and will be accompanied by a top-class business delegation.[ 8] Last week, Merz had expressed the hope that "we will finally find a balance again with our greatest European neighbor, namely Russia, in the longer perspective"; after all, Russia is "a European country". 9] Such a statement has been considered unthinkable for years. It highlights the option that regularly recurring in German history to seek compensation in the East in conflicts in the West.
At the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday, Merz limited himself to the statement that they had "crossed the threshold into a new world of great powers", which "will impose hardships and dangers on us". 10] It is therefore important to strengthen "Europe". EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had declared on Tuesday that "geopolitical shocks" like the current one confirmed the "need to build a new form of European independence". 11] This should be done "in dialogue with our friends and partners" - but "if necessary also with our opponents". Neither Merz nor von der Leyen had doubts that "Europe" should not, as it was often said in the past, become strong as a "civil power", but as a highly equipped military bloc that must be able to wage wars at will - also against great powers.
[1] “Principled and pragmatic: Canada's path”. Prime Minister Carney addresses the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting. pm.gc.ca 20.01.2026.
[2] Prime Minister Carney forges new strategic partnership with the People's Republic of China focused on energy, agri-food, and trade. pm.gc.ca 16.01.2026.
[3] Timothy Garton Ash, Ivan Krastev, Mark Leonard: How Trump is making China great again – and what it means for Europe.
[4] Decision to give China its 'super embassy' in London was unavoidable. thetimes.com 20.01.2026.
[5] Joe Cash: Britain and China to revive 'Golden Era' business dialogue during Starmer visit. reuters.com 21.01.2026.
[6] Georg Blume: That's why Brussels waives tariffs on Chinese e-cars. faz.net 22.01.2026.
[7] Olga Scheer, Dietmar Neuerer, Christof Kerkmann: EU wants to permanently banish Huawei from 5G networks. handelsblatt.com 20.01.2026.
[8] Chancellor Merz travels to China for his first visit at the end of February. augsburger-allgemeine.de 17.01.2026.
[9] More performance, less bureaucracy in business and medium-sized businesses. Speech by the Federal Chancellor at the New Year's reception of the IHK Halle-Dessau and the Chamber of Crafts Halle. bundesregierung.de 14.01.2026.
[10] Speech by Chancellor Merz at the World Economic Forum on 22. January 2026 in Davos. bundesregierung.de 22.01.2026.
[11] Special address by President von der Leyen at the World Economic Forum. ec.europa.eu 20.01.2026.