Canada sees neighbor as ally, threat, survey finds

Canadians see the United States as both their country's biggest threat and their most important ally, according to a survey released by the Pew Research Center.

"There is a long history of tension in the relationship," said Richard Johnston, professor emeritus of political science at the University of British Columbia. "Both things are true."

The contradictory sentiment is rooted in the structural imbalance between the countries, he said. "The difference in scale has always been there, and that is the basis of threat perceptions," he told China Daily.