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What to look for in future Canada, China trade talks

Published: 4 December 2017

“Prime Minister Justin Trudeau landed in Beijing on Sunday, with expanding trade with China at the top of his agenda. As the United States under President Trump becomes increasingly protectionist, Canada is moving in the opposite direction.” (New York Times)

Krzysztof J. Pelc, Political Science, McGill University

“Canada is what economists call a "small open economy", which means it has admittedly little economic weight to throw around in the global economy. But what we are seeing now is very much a war of ideas, and if Canada can get ambitious, enforceable legal provisions passed in treaties with a few key trade partners (Japan through TPP, and maybe China), that does actually have the power to force the US’ hand, and affect their behaviour.”

Professor Pelc research examines the international political economy, with a focus on international rules. He also look at the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

kj.pelc [at] mcgill.ca (English, French)

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