Shelve any talk of a free trade deal; complain to the WTO; expel China’s Winter Olympic athletes. As China further tightens the screws on Canadian exports and expatriates, pressure is mounting on the federal government to do something to retaliate in what has been a largely one-sided conflict between the nations. The lack of response from Ottawa may even be exacerbating the situation, said Charles Burton, a former Canadian diplomat in Beijing. “So far I can’t perceive any meaningful response by the Canadian government to anything China’s been doing since December,” said the China expert at Ontario’s Brock University. Sources tell him China is now having its provinces compile lists of Canadian businesses it could further target, he said in an interview.

Source: National Post April 30, 2019 23:26 UTC