Professional Affiliation

Founder & CEO I Fondateur & Directeur Général, Canada China Forum I Forum Canada Chine

Expert Bio

Darren Touch is a Schwarzman Fellow at the Kissinger Institute on China and the United States and the Canada Institute. With a background in public policy, Darren has extensive knowledge and experience in governance and evidence-based, people-focused public policy development in the public, private and non-governmental sectors. His research focuses on the triangular relationship between Canada, China and the U.S., examining how Canada and the U.S. can manage its relationship with China while maintaining and strengthening the Canada-U.S. relationship. Prior to joining the Wilson Center, he was a Policy Lead at the Public Policy Forum, a national think tank in Canada, and a Senior Associate at Nordicity, a global managing consulting firm. He was formerly with Canada’s Digital Policy Forum, the Government of Canada, and TD Bank Financial Group. Darren is a Schwarzman Scholar with a Master of Management Science in Global Affairs at Tsinghua University, a Master of Public Policy and Global Affairs from the University of British Columbia, and a Bachelor’s of Social Science in Political Science and Public Administration from the University of Ottawa, which he attended as a TD Scholar for Community Leadership.

Wilson Center Project

The Triangular Relationship between Canada, China and the U.S.

Project Summary

Given shared geography, values, history and interests, Canada and the United States (U.S.) are natural partners and allies in confronting opportunities and challenges presented by China’s growing ambitions. However, Canada also has national interests that are independent of the U.S. A combination of factors during the last four years resulted in Canada’s relationship with China and the U.S. became increasingly strained. The election of Joe Biden presents an opportunity to ‘reconfigure’ the triangular relationship. The research will analyze the triangular relationship between Canada, China, and the U.S. and examine how Canada and the U.S. can manage its relationship with China while maintaining and strengthening the Canada-U.S. relationship.