According to Xinhua News Agency, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stated on the 20th at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, that Canada strongly opposes the United States imposing tariffs to acquire Greenland. Carney noted that recently, some major powers have used tariffs as leverage and financial infrastructure as a tool of coercion. He pointed out that the institutional framework for collective problem-solving, including the World Trade Organization and the United Nations, is facing threats.
Media reports indicate that Carney delivered a strongly worded speech that day, warning: Medium-sized countries must awaken.
He bluntly stated that the &#34;rules-based international order established after World War II is dying,&#34; and the world has entered an era of great power zero-sum games. Carney warned that in such an environment, &#34;the 'hegemonic countries' can do as they please, while the weak can only suffer.&#34;
In his speech, Carney called on medium-sized countries globally to abandon the illusion that &#34;compliance can bring security&#34; and instead take united action to resist the coercion of &#34;hegemonic countries.&#34; He emphasized that in the face of hegemonic actions that weaponize trade, finance, and supply chains, medium-sized countries must establish a new alliance framework, &#34;because if we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu.&#34;
The context of this statement is quite sensitive. Recently, U.S. President Trump threatened to impose tariffs on allies and absurdly suggested &#34;buying Greenland,&#34; even blatantly releasing a map with the U.S. flag covering Greenland and Canada.
According to Xinhua News Agency, Trump posted an image on social media early on the 20th, showing him holding the U.S. flag on Greenland, with U.S. Vice President Pence and Secretary of State Rubio standing behind him, and a sign reading &#34;Greenland becomes U.S. territory in 2026.&#34; Trump also released another image that day: him meeting with European leaders in the Oval Office, with a map in the background showing the U.S. flag covering not only the mainland U.S. but also Canada, Greenland, and Venezuela.
Carney's speech has been widely interpreted in the market as a rational return of Canada's diplomatic and economic strategy, shifting from a reliance on an increasingly uncertain traditional ally (the U.S.) to seeking broader strategic autonomy and global cooperation.
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<h2>Refusing to &#34;Live in Lies&#34;</h2>
Carney began his speech by quoting the ancient Greek historian Thucydides and borrowing from Czech politician Václav Havel's fable about the &#34;vegetable shop owner,&#34; profoundly analyzing the hypocrisy of current international relations.
&#34;For decades, countries like Canada have prospered under the so-called rules-based international order... We know this story is partly false, as hegemonic states exempt themselves when convenient, and trade rules are enforced asymmetrically,&#34; Carney said, &#34;but this deal no longer works.&#34;
He pointed out that the world is in a state of &#34;breakage&#34; rather than &#34;transition.&#34; Over the past twenty years, financial, health, and geopolitical crises have exposed the risks of extreme global integration. More importantly, certain major powers have begun to &#34;weaponize economic integration, using tariffs as leverage, financial infrastructure as coercion, and supply chains as exploitable vulnerabilities.&#34;
Carney warned governments and businesses not to &#34;live in a lie,&#34; meaning that while they know the rules have failed, they pretend to comply to avoid trouble. &#34;When integration becomes the source of your subordinate status, you cannot live in the lie of mutual benefit through integration,&#34; he stated bluntly, &#34;It's time to take down the sign in the window.&#34;
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<h2>&#34;If you're not at the table, you're on the menu&#34;</h2>
In light of the current situation, Carney proposed a pragmatic new path for middle powers: instead of trying to build higher walls, they should form more ambitious alliances. He referred to this strategy as &#34;variable geometry,&#34; which involves forming different alliances based on shared values and interests for different issues.
&#34;Middle powers must act in unison,&#34; Carney left this resonant quote in his speech, &#34;because if we are not at the negotiating table, we will become someone else's meal.&#34;
He analyzed that certain major powers still have the capital to &#34;go it alone,&#34; issuing commands based on market size and military capability. However, if middle powers only engage in bilateral negotiations with hegemonic states, they are negotiating from a position of weakness, ultimately having to accept the other's charity, or even competing with each other to please the hegemon. &#34;This is not sovereignty. This is performing sovereignty while accepting subordinate status,&#34; Carney said.
<h2>Turning to &#34;Value-Based Realism&#34;</h2>
To respond to this new reality, Carney announced that Canada is fundamentally shifting its strategic posture to adopt &#34;value-based realism.&#34; This means Canada will no longer passively wait for the world to improve but will take proactive measures to build hard power and a diversified network of relationships.
In terms of economic and defense aspects, Carney listed a series of significant reform measures:
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Defense Upgrade: Committing to double defense spending by the end of this decade, investing in submarines, beyond-visual-range radar, and joining the EU's defense procurement arrangement (SAFE)
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Trade Diversification: Canada has recently established new strategic partnerships with China and Qatar, and is negotiating free trade agreements with India, ASEAN, Thailand, the Philippines, and the Southern Common Market.
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Key Resources: A rapid advancement of $1 trillion in investments is underway in the fields of energy, artificial intelligence (AI), and critical minerals.
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According to CCTV News, from January 14 to 17, 2026, Canadian Prime Minister Carney is invited to make an official visit to China. During the visit, both sides reached a broad consensus on deepening economic and trade cooperation and signed the &#34;China-Canada Economic and Trade Cooperation Roadmap,&#34; forming a preliminary joint arrangement for addressing bilateral economic and trade issues.
Carney specifically mentioned that Canada is collaborating with like-minded democratic countries in the field of AI to ensure that it will not be forced to &#34;choose between hegemons and super-sized enterprises.&#34;
<h2>Implicit Criticism of Hegemonic Coercion</h2>
Although Carney did not directly name U.S. President Trump in his speech, his mention of &#34;American hegemony&#34; and responses to specific geopolitical events clearly pointed to pressures from the southern neighbor.
In response to Trump's sovereignty claims over Greenland and related tariff threats, Carney expressed a firm stance: &#34;On Arctic sovereignty issues, we stand firmly with Greenland and Denmark... Canada strongly opposes tariffs imposed due to the Greenland issue.&#34; He also reiterated that Canada's commitment to NATO's Article 5 (collective defense) is &#34;unwavering.&#34;
Carney called on middle powers to stop applying double standards to allies and adversaries. &#34;When middle powers criticize economic intimidation from one direction but remain silent about intimidation from another direction, we are hanging that sign on the window (implying self-deception),&#34; he said.
At the end of his speech, Carney emphasized that the old order will not return, and nostalgia is not a strategy. He urged countries to recognize reality and earn the right to take principled positions by building domestic economic strength and international diversification. &#34;This is Canada's path... This path is open to any country willing to walk with us.&#34;

Carney stated that the so-called "rules-based international order is dead," implying that a certain major power is transforming economic integration into a "tool of coercion." In the face of U.S. tariff threats and geopolitical pressure, Carney urged global middle powers to abandon illusions and respond to "hegemony" by establishing diversified alliances and enhancing their own hard power. Canada will shift towards a "values-based realism" strategy, including increasing defense spending and diversifying trade, to avoid becoming "a pawn" in the great power game

Wallstreetcn

Canadian Prime Minister Carney's keynote speech: The rules-based order is dead, and middle powers should unite and act to resist the coercion of certain major countries