IN a retaliatory move, China has announced plans to impose tariffs on Canadian products, including rapeseed oil and pork, following an investigation into the tariffs Canada placed on Chinese goods last year.
Beijing’s commerce ministry announced on Saturday, March 8, that it would impose a 100 per cent tariff on Canada’s imported rapeseed oil, oil cakes, and peas.
The ministry said the measures would take effect on March 20, with aquatic products and pork facing a 25 per cent tariff.
Canada announced 100 per cent tariffs on Chinese electric vehicle imports last August, aligning with U.S. measures aimed at curbing the influx of state-subsidised Chinese cars into North America.
Canada also imposed a surtax on imports of steel and aluminum products from China. A surtax is an additional tax on something already taxed. The surtax can be calculated as a percentage of a certain amount or can be a flat dollar charge.
In its latest announcement, Beijing’s commerce ministry stated that an investigation into these measures revealed that Canadian policies had “disrupted the normal trade order and harmed the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises.”
“China urges Canada to immediately correct its bad practices, lift its restrictive measures, and eliminate its negative effects,” a ministry spokesperson said.
Canada is one of the world’s leading producers of canola, an oilseed crop used for cooking oil, animal feed, and biodiesel fuel, with China historically being one of its largest buyers.
However, the bilateral relations deteriorated in 2018 after Canada detained a senior executive of Chinese tech giant Huawei, Meng Wanzhou, leading Beijing to arrest two Canadian nationals in retaliation.
According to reports that in December 2024, China exported $4.05 billion and imported $6.11 billion worth of goods from Canada, resulting in a negative trade balance of $2.06 billion.
The ICIR reports that this development comes just four days after President Donald Trump imposed new tariffs, further escalating trade tensions between Canada, China, and the United States.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues.