Canada’s Chinese EV deal looms large as U.S. talks break down. But how has the pact actually panned out?

The Chinese EV import deal struck in January has now become a symbol of Canada’s determination to “choose who we trade with and what we trade,” experts say.

After Prime Minister Mark Carney stated Saturday that U.S. trade negotiators had demanded a veto over trade deals with other countries Saturday, the relatively modest Chinese EV deal, which allows 49,000 EVs into Canada this year, has taken on greater symbolic significance as a demonstration of Canada’s economic sovereignty, said Dan Woynillowicz, a climate and energy policy consultant with Polaris Strategy and Insight.