Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney was inadvertently recorded assuring U.S. President Donald Trump about limiting Chinese electric vehicle imports during the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Évian-les-Bains, France.
In the footage, Carney speaks quietly to Trump, indicating with a hand gesture while mentioning the word “cap.” Carney elaborates, “Less than 3 percent of our market—49,000 cars,” aligning with Canada’s prior commitment to China. Trump’s response was favorable: “That’s good, I like that.”
Newsweek has contacted the U.S. Trade Representative for a comment via email regarding this exchange.
The G7 summit took place by Lake Geneva, near the Swiss border, including leaders from France, Italy, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Notably, discussions about China were prevalent, despite China’s absence. The concern revolved around China’s supposed “non-market practices,” such as substantial state subsidies and other industrial policies.
Earlier in January, Carney had visited Beijing to negotiate deals amid uncertainty in trade relations with the U.S. after Trump’s extensive tariffs. Despite threats from Trump about imposing a 100 percent tariff on Canadian imports, Carney proceeded with the deal involving the import of Chinese electric vehicles.
As part of the agreement, Canada would import up to 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles, applying a most-favored-nation tariff rate of 6.1 percent, a significant reduction from the 100 percent duty previously in place since 2024. In return, China agreed to decrease its retaliatory tariffs on Canadian canola to about 15 percent, down from 85 percent.
The U.S. and China have recently worked on easing trade tensions, highlighted by Trump’s visit to Beijing. Additionally, Trump extended an invitation to Chinese leader Xi Jinping for a visit to the U.S. in September, aiming to further mend trade relations.
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