U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he “did not come to South Korea to see Canada,” in a pointed remark highlighting tensions between Washington and Ottawa over stalled trade negotiations and new U.S. tariffs.
In a post on his social media platform Truth Social shortly after arriving in the South Korean city of Gyeongju, Trump wrote, “For those that are asking, we didn’t come to South Korea to see Canada!”
The comment came ahead of high-level talks with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping, and hours before a dinner expected to include Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney among the guests.
Trump’s remark follows his announcement last week that he was cutting off trade discussions with Canada and imposing an additional 10% tariff on Canadian imports.
The move came after an Ontario political advertisement used a clip of former U.S. President Ronald Reagan warning that tariffs could lead to “trade wars and economic disaster.”
On Monday, Carney said he remained open to resuming dialogue with Washington. “We’re ready to sit down for trade talks whenever the U.S. is prepared to do so,” he told reporters before departing for Asia.
Carney, on his first official visit to the region since taking office, is seeking to strengthen Canada’s trade and security relationships across Asia as Ottawa works to reduce its heavy economic dependence on the United States.
The prime minister is scheduled to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping later this week to discuss expanded economic cooperation and regional security.
Despite his blunt tone, Trump is expected to join Carney and other Asia-Pacific leaders for a formal dinner on Wednesday evening, an encounter likely to test whether personal diplomacy can ease the growing trade rift between the two longtime allies.
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
