Prime Minister Mark Carney meets with President of China Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Friday.Sean Kilpatrick/Reuters

Well, that got their attention. Since the Prime Minister’s visit to China, the American media – and social media – have been filled with expressions of shock and amazement.

For critics of Donald Trump, it was payback for his bullying and abusive treatment of America’s nearest neighbour and historic ally. For the President’s supporters, it was a sign of Canadian perfidy, if not grounds for invasion. Canada will “surely regret” gives you the flavour of it.

But all agreed it was a seismic shift. Canada had “aligned” itself with China against the United States. It had “cozied up” to the Communist dictatorship. In the wilder imaginings, it had “invited China into our neighbourhood,” as if there were now Chinese troops stationed along the U.S. border.

Even Canadian critics got in on the game. Why, just last spring the Prime Minister had described China as the most significant foreign threat to Canada’s national security. And now he was signing trade deals with them? What could possibly account for this about-face?

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