By Ginika Igboke
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre says recent U.S. military actions in Venezuela and Iran are part of a broader geopolitical strategy by United States to curb the expanding influence of China around the world.
Poilievre argued that Washington is increasingly determined to prevent countries aligned with Beijing from gaining strategic footholds in regions close to American interests. He said Canada must carefully consider how it positions itself within this evolving global strategy and suggested that strengthening ties with the United States would benefit Canada both economically and in terms of national security.
The Conservative leader made the remarks during a March 4 appearance on the Triggernometry podcast while visiting the United Kingdom.
According to Poilievre, American policymakers have become increasingly concerned about the presence of governments aligned with Beijing in key regions such as Latin America and the Middle East.
“The United States does not want satellites of Beijing in Latin America in particular,” Poilievre said during the interview with podcast hosts Konstantin Kisin and Francis Foster.
He pointed to U.S. actions targeting the government of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela, Washington’s increased economic pressure on Cuba, and military operations against Iran as evidence of a wider effort to limit Beijing’s geopolitical reach.
U.S. Operations and Rising Tensions
U.S. forces captured Maduro in an operation earlier this year, while the United States and Israel launched joint military strikes against the Iranian regime beginning on Feb. 28.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said the objective of the campaign against Iran is to dismantle its ballistic missile capabilities, weaken its naval forces, and prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump has stepped up pressure on Cuba’s communist government, warning that countries exporting oil to the island could face tariffs. Trump has also floated the possibility of what he described as a “friendly takeover” of Cuba.
China has cultivated deep economic and strategic ties with several of these countries. Beijing and Tehran signed a sweeping 25-year strategic cooperation agreement in March 2021 covering political, military, and economic collaboration.
China has also invested tens of billions of dollars in Venezuela’s energy and infrastructure sectors over the past two decades. Much of the financing has been repaid through long-term oil shipments, strengthening the economic relationship between the two nations. Venezuela, Iran, and Cuba have all served as important oil suppliers for China under long-term agreements and financing arrangements.
Changing U.S. View of China
Poilievre said Washington’s approach toward Beijing has shifted dramatically in recent years. He argued that earlier assumptions that the United States could freely trade with China without strategic consequences have given way to growing concern that Beijing has become a major geopolitical rival.
According to Poilievre, American leaders eventually recognized that extensive manufacturing had moved overseas, leaving the United States heavily dependent on China for key industrial and technological supply chains.
China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001 with strong support from the United States and other Western countries. However, a 2018 study by the Economic Policy Institute estimated that the United States lost about 3.4 million jobs between 2001 and 2017 due to the trade imbalance that followed China’s entry into the global trading system.
Canada’s Strategic Choice
Poilievre said Canada must now decide how it will position itself amid intensifying competition between the United States and China.
He argued that Canada should focus on strengthening its economy and expanding its industrial and energy capacity in order to become a more valuable partner for Washington.
“My view is that we have the ability to make the North American continent a lot safer and more secure and more prosperous,” Poilievre said, emphasizing that stronger economic integration with the United States could provide Canada with greater influence in negotiations.
He also stressed that Canada’s ultimate goal should be maintaining tariff-free access to the American market, which he described as the most lucrative in the world.
During the discussion, Poilievre criticized Washington’s recent tariffs targeting Canadian goods, arguing that Canada should be seen as a key partner in strengthening North American economic and security resilience.
“We have the resources, the minerals, and the geography to help make the entire continent safer,” he said.
Criticism of Domestic Economic Policies
Poilievre also used the interview to criticize what he described as excessive government regulation and redistribution policies in Canada. He argued that these policies have slowed economic growth and limited the country’s potential.
He sharply criticized climate policies he referred to as a “net-zero fraud,” arguing that large government programs focused on emissions reduction concentrate economic power in fewer hands while burdening businesses and consumers.
According to Poilievre, Canada needs to become a more meritocratic and economically dynamic society by reducing bureaucracy, encouraging private investment, and accelerating approvals for infrastructure and resource projects.
Trade and Foreign Policy Debate
Poilievre also addressed Canada’s foreign policy direction, warning against pursuing closer strategic ties with China at the expense of relations with the United States.
He argued that Canada’s economy remains overwhelmingly tied to its southern neighbor, noting that Canadian exports to the United States far exceed those sent to China.
“The idea that we can have a permanent rupture with our closest neighbour and biggest customer in favour of a strategic partnership for a new world order with China is not on,” he said.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney recently signed an agreement in principle with China to significantly reduce tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. Under the deal, tariffs on up to 49,000 vehicles in the first year would fall from 100 percent to 6.1 percent.
In exchange, Beijing agreed to remove retaliatory tariffs on Canadian agricultural and seafood exports.
Carney’s trip to China in January also produced a number of memoranda of understanding covering cooperation in areas including trade, agriculture, energy, public safety, and tourism.
While visiting China, Carney said he is seeking a strategic partnership with Beijing that would position Canada for what he described as a “new world order.” However, amid criticism from Washington, the prime minister later clarified that Canada is not pursuing a formal free-trade agreement with China and is instead attempting to repair trade disruptions that have emerged in recent years.
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