US president Donald Trump is threatening to block the opening of a Canadian-financed, cross-border bridge as trade tensions between the two countries show little sign of easing.
The Gordie Howe International Bridge connecting automotive manufacturing hubs Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit, Michigan, is set to open in early this year, but on Monday was in the crosshairs of a social media screed from Trump.
"I will not allow this bridge to open until the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given them," said Trump in the post. "We will start negotiations, IMMEDIATELY."
The 2.5 km (1.6 mile) bridge is entirely funded by Canada at an estimated cost of C$6.4bn ($4.7bn) but will be publicly owned by both Canada and Michigan. It will be operated by the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA), a Canadian crown corporation created in 2012.
Canada for years has sought an alternative to the nearby Ambassador Bridge, owned by the family of a US business magnate.
The Canadian government is to recover its investment through tolls.
Trump's social media post repeated other complaints over trade with Canada, including some Canadian provinces no longer stocking US alcoholic beverages, Canadian tariffs on US dairy products and a pending agreement between Canada and China to reduce some tariffs.
China "... will eat Canada alive," Trump said in the post. "The first thing China will do is terminate ALL Ice Hockey being played in Canada, and permanently eliminate The Stanley Cup."
The Gordie Howe International Bridge will be the latest addition to the Windsor-Detroit trade corridor, which the WDBA says accounts for more than one-quarter of trade between Canada and the US. The corridor includes the Ambassador Bridge, the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel and the Canadian Pacific Railway tunnel.
A US waiver was given to Canada to source steel from either the US or Canada for the project.
The main bridge and parts of the Canadian port of entry were sourced using Canadian steel, according to the Canadian government.
