Forging Free Trade with China: The Maple Leaf and the Silver Fern

Why does Canada lack the closeness of economic ties with China enjoyed by other developed Commonwealth countries, such as New Zealand? While these countries take similar positions toward China with regard to human rights and security-related matters, they differ markedly in terms of trade relations—New Zealand inked a free trade deal with Beijing in 2008, while such an agreement between Canada and China has remained out of reach. This article probes the source of this divergence. The answer, it is argued, lies in the sociotropic effects of political opposition groups on both the left and the right in Canada, and the absence of parallel conditions in New Zealand.

与中国建立自由贸易关系：红枫与银蕨

关键词：中国，加拿大， 新西兰，自由贸易，经济关系。

加拿大为何缺少新西兰等发达国家与中国之间保持的密切的经济联系？ 尽管这些国家在人权与安全问题上采取了与加拿大类似的立场，但他们在贸易关系问题上截然不同——新西兰在2008年与北京签订了自由贸易协定，而这种协议目前在加中之间仍未达成。本文探索了这种分异背后的缘由。本文提出，答案在于加拿大左翼和右翼的政治反对群体带来的社会取向效应，而新西兰并没有类似的情况。