BEIJING – China has declared a set of countering tariffs on specific Canadian agricultural and food imports, following Canada’s own tariff impositions in October on Chinese-manufactured electric vehicles as well as steel and aluminum products. These new tariffs are slated to take effect on March 20, as outlined in a statement by the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council.
The forthcoming duties will introduce additional tariffs, with a 100% surcharge applied to Canadian imports of rapeseed oil, oil cakes, and peas, while pork and aquatic products will face an added 25% tariff. This move intensifies an already heightened global trade landscape, where various nations, including the United States, China, Canada, and Mexico, have been embroiled in rounds of tariff impositions.
The tariffs by China are a direct response to the measures taken by Ottawa in October, which included a 100% surtax on all electric vehicles produced in China and a 25% tariff on Chinese steel and aluminum imports. In a statement, the customs department highlighted, “Despite China’s repeated opposition and dissuasion, Canada has taken unilateral restrictive actions on electric vehicles and other Chinese imports without any investigation, damaging China-Canada economic and trade relations.”
The decision to enforce these retaliatory tariffs follows an “anti-discrimination probe” that revealed Canada’s restrictive actions against some Chinese commodities have disturbed the normal trade order and infringed on the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises, according to the statement. Previously, Canada had announced tariffs targeting Chinese products in response to similar tariffs by the United States and the European Union, arguing that China’s subsidies provide an unfair competitive edge to its industries.
