Kovrig Warns of China Trade Deal Risks

0:00It's April 21st, I'm Cory with the story. This is Canada News Today, driven by AI. Michael Covric, the guy detained by China for over 1,000 days, just dropped some real talk at a business summit in Ottawa. He called Canada's new trade deal with China, a risky move that won't fix our beef with the United States and might even mess up trade talks. The deal lets in up to 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles while aiming to boost our exports by 50% by 2030. Here this week, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnik slammed Prime Minister Mark Carney's agreement, seeing it as Canada playing both sides. Covric, a sharp China expert, says Beijing's all about selling cheap goods now, not buying ours, and they could push for more imports down the line, using old pressure tactics. Folks are worried this creates the same dependency we've seen in Canola, Pork, and Seafood Sectors, where China holds all the cards and can cut us off. Any time, forcing our hand in politics, it's like inviting a big-box store that kills

1:02local shops, then jacks of prices, short-term savings, long-term trap. Last week, Covric testified before House Committee and other experts backed him up, saying it threatens renewing the Canada U.S.-Mexico trade pact. Finance Minister Francois Philippe Champagne wants to iron out irritants to grow our 120 billion-dollar trade relationship with China. Time line, Covric isn't calling for a full cutoff. China ain't North Korea, but any deals got to be locked down tight, reversible if they turn sour. Keeping our alliances solid first.