China has announced new tariffs on key Canadian exports, escalating trade tensions between the two nations. Effective March 20, Beijing will impose a 100% tariff on Canadian rapeseed oil, oil cakes, and peas, while aquatic products and pork will face a 25% levy.
The move follows an investigation by China’s Ministry of Commerce into Canada’s trade policies, particularly Ottawa’s 100% tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and additional surtaxes on steel and aluminum imports, introduced last August. The ministry accused Canada of disrupting the “normal trade order” and harming Chinese businesses, urging Ottawa to reverse its measures.
Canada, one of the world’s leading producers of canola, has historically relied on China as a major export market. However, trade relations between the two countries have been fraught with tension, particularly since Canada’s 2018 detention of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou, which led to China’s retaliatory arrest of two Canadian citizens.
The fresh tariffs come at a time of heightened global trade conflicts, with both Canada and China navigating increasing friction with the United States, which has imposed sweeping new trade restrictions under former President Donald Trump.
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