Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stated that the world can make progress on a number of issues without the U.S. He also noted that the consensus reached at the G20 leaders' meeting in Johannesburg this weekend carries weight, despite the boycott by President Donald Trump's administration, Bloomberg reports.
The summit "brought together countries representing three-quarters of the world's population, two-thirds of the global GDP, and three-quarters of global trade, and this is without the official participation of the United States. This is a reminder that the center of gravity in the global economy is shifting," Carney stated.
Carney emphasized that he would not allow Trump to dictate his agenda.
"I will talk to him again when necessary," he said. "I have no pressing issues to discuss with the president at this time. When America wants to come back and discuss trade issues, we will do that."
He also elaborated on his efforts to strengthen ties with various countries, from South Africa to India and China.
"We are signing new agreements and finding new investors to realize our plans for Canada's economic ambitions," he said. "We will expand trade and stimulate investment to enhance partnerships in various areas—from artificial intelligence to energy in the Indo-Pacific region and Europe."
Bloomberg reminds that South Africa, hosting the G20 summit this year, challenged the U.S. by issuing a declaration following the meeting. Trump decided to boycott the summit, allegedly due to the oppression of white farmers in South Africa. At the same time, Washington emphasized that in the absence of the U.S. at the summit, only the chair's report could be published.
Conflict Between the U.S. and Canada
After Trump's return to the White House, relations between the U.S. and Canada, which have traditionally been considered among the closest and most stable in the world, entered a period of acute crisis and unpredictability.
Even during the presidential campaign, Trump began threatening Canada with high tariffs on imports and calling it the "51st state."
In October, a loud scandal erupted between Canada and the U.S. over a television advertisement sponsored by the government of the Canadian province of Ontario. Trump was so enraged that he halted trade negotiations with Canada and imposed a new 10 percent tariff increase on Canadian exports to the U.S.
Against this backdrop, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is trying to strengthen economic ties with China and India.
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