Investigative journalist Sam Cooper deciphers Mark Carney’s Canada-China Business Council speech in Beijing—revealing the true meaning behind the rhetoric and the threats posed by closer alignment to China.

By Probe International

In his January speech to the Canada-China Business Council, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a new “strategic partnership” with Beijing that he unveiled as a pragmatic diversification amid a “rupture” in the multilateral order—code, according to investigative journalist Sam Cooper, for Donald Trump’s America First policies that prioritize domestic industries and secure supply chains against Chinese predation.

Examining the speech in detail for a recent episode of Brave New Normal, Cooper asserted that, rather than representing neutral pragmatism, the deal offered Beijing an opportunity to treat Canada as a “vassal state” through trade dependency, leaving the country vulnerable to espionage and interference operations.

The core threat highlighted lies in China’s proven strategy of “flood, consolidate, weaponize”—a three-stage playbook that was detailed in recent parliamentary testimony by former diplomat Michael Kovrig, whom Cooper cited. Appearing before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Science and Research (SRSR) in April to testify on Canada-China trade, Kovrig described China’s approach as flooding target markets with subsidized goods—often produced through forced labor—driving out competitors, and gaining control of critical supply chains, leaving countries vulnerable to political pressure. Having endured more than 1,000 days in Chinese detention, Kovrig has repeatedly warned that Canada risks falling into a similar trap.

Cooper argues that Carney’s deal mirrors past Chinese coercion. He points to Beijing’s restrictions on Canadian canola imports and pressure on other sectors during efforts to secure the release of Chinese tech executive Meng Wanzhou, while simultaneously detaining Kovrig and Canadian businessman Michael Spavor as hostages. He further warned that the partnership’s “public safety” and “people-to-people” pillars could broaden the reach of China’s Ministry of State Security and United Front influence networks, including alleged secret police activities that have already been documented in cities across Canada.

Cooper pointed to Mexico as a stark warning of how quickly this playbook delivers dominance. A few years ago, China supplied around a quarter of Mexico’s EV batteries; within two years, that share surged to 90 percent through heavy subsidies, technology acquisition, and market flooding. Once entrenched, he said, Beijing gains leverage over high-tech supply chains essential for defense, batteries, and critical minerals.

Cooper stresses that Canada’s decision to grant up to 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles low-tariff access to the market represents the “thin edge of the wedge.” By opening the door to affordable imports today, he said, Canada risks hollowing out its domestic auto industry, enabling large-scale data collection, and becoming so economically dependent that reversing course would carry significant costs—much like German automakers now seeking protection after years of similar exposure.

A pivotal signal, the prime minister’s speech reveals Canada is choosing alignment with an authoritarian rival over resilience alongside its closest ally, compounding conflicts of interest given Carney’s prior business ties through Brookfield to Chinese green investments, says Cooper. By portraying the U.S. as the disruptor while praising China’s clean-tech leadership (built partly on Belt and Road extraction and forced labor), Carney downplays espionage risks, supply-chain weaponization, and United Front activities.

The resulting threat landscape, Cooper contends, is sovereignty erosion, the loss of industries like Nortel (once Canada’s largest and most valuable technology company), and increased vulnerability for journalists, diaspora critics, and democratic institutions.