Carney and the politics of selective principles

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney gave an impressive speech to the European Parliament on Thursday. Elegant, thoughtful and rich in historical imagery, it began with Goethe and Buchenwald, traveled through Vimy Ridge, and ended with Canada and Europe growing a transatlantic forest together.

Underneath the poetry was a sensible economic argument. Canada is too dependent on the US. The weaponization of trade has exposed the danger of relying excessively on one market.

Canada should diversify, and Europe — with its vast market, technological capabilities and broadly compatible political system — is an obvious partner.

Carney spoke of sovereignty, territorial integrity, democracy, human dignity and individual freedom. Economic integration, he warned, is being weaponized; tariffs and financial mechanisms are being used for coercion; and supply chains have become vulnerabilities. Canada and Europe should build resilience together because they share fundamental values.

However, only eight months ago, Carney was in Beijing announcing a new “strategic partnership” with China, explicitly presenting deeper engagement as part of Canada’s effort to diversify its trade and reduce excessive dependence on its largest trading partner.

There is nothing inherently wrong with Canada trading with China. However, if economic dependence creates vulnerability, and if governments should guard against countries that weaponize trade, China cannot somehow disappear from the analysis.

After Lithuania allowed a representative office bearing the name “Taiwanese” to open in Vilnius, Lithuanian goods began encountering difficulties entering China. The EU later brought a WTO case alleging discriminatory and coercive measures, including customs rejections and restrictions on products containing Lithuanian components. China subsequently imposed import bans on Lithuanian alcohol, beef and dairy products using phytosanitary justifications that, according to the European Commission, China failed to substantiate. Lithuanian exports to China fell dramatically.

Days before Carney’s in Europe speech, Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) attended the European Conference for Freedom and Democracy in Ventotene, Italy. Her participation had been kept confidential beforehand. After it became known, the European Commission withdrew its logo from the conference and canceled the participation of its scheduled representative. European Parliament Vice President Pina Picierno publicly linked the commission’s decision to Chinese complaints, while the commission declined to confirm that Hsiao’s presence was the reason.

Days later, Carney stood before the European Parliament declaring that democracies must protect their sovereignty, resist coercion and defend their shared values. “Freedom must be earned ‘every single day,’” Carney said emphatically.

The problem is not that Canada should refuse to trade with China, nor that Europe should confront Beijing at every opportunity. Diplomacy requires pragmatism.

The problem arises when democratic values are presented as fundamental principles against one powerful country, but become more flexible when another powerful country applies pressure.

Carney is right that excessive dependence creates vulnerability, that democracies need resilience and that sovereignty means retaining the ability to make one’s own choices. However, those principles need to survive contact with Beijing as well as Washington, otherwise they are not really principles.

They are just very good speeches.

John Cheng is a retired businessman from Hong Kong living in Taiwan.