China's ambassador to Canada Wang Di, left, greets Prime Minister Mark Carney upon his arrival at Beijing Capital International Airport, on Wednesday.Carlos Osorio/Reuters

Not too subtle: On the eve of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit, China’s state media warned that if Ottawa wanted progress in relations, it had to adopt a foreign policy separate from the United States.

“If Ottawa still chooses to subject its China policy to the will of Washington,” the China Daily said in an editorial, efforts to mend ties will be “in vain.”

A schism already exists in Canada-U.S. relations. It looks like China wants a chasm.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump is again giving Canada the back of his hand. American automakers have appealed to him to keep the USMCA, the trade pact with Canada and Mexico. But while touring a Ford plant in Michigan on Tuesday, he said that the agreement is “irrelevant” to him, that he could take it or leave it, and that Americans don’t need Canadian products.

It’s this kind of recklessness that makes it so important for Mr. Carney to improve ties with China this week and find progress on trade issues.

Opinion: Canada needs less confrontation with China and more trade

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