Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney meets with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing on Jan. 16. | Pool / via REUTERS Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney drew global attention at this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where he argued that middle powers must coordinate more closely in order to counter coercive diplomacy by major powers. In Japan, however, Canada’s recent diplomatic moves — including its first prime ministerial visit to China in more than eight years — have generated mixed reactions. While Carney emphasized the importance of middle powers in his Davos speech, he also cited the establishment of a “new strategic relationship” with China as a diplomatic achievement, prompting criticism that Canada is pursuing rapprochement with China or distancing itself from the United States.…