China is willing to lift duties on Canadian canola in exchange for lifting restrictions

China will lift duties on canola, the commercial version of Canadian canola, if Canada lifts its levies on electric vehicles, Chinese Ambassador to Canada Wang Di said in an exclusive interview with CTV Question Period.

“The question you raised gets to the heart of the problem in our trade relations,” Wang told CTV Question Period host Vassi Kapelos when asked whether China’s tariffs were a direct response to Canada’s electric vehicle duties.

“China’s tariffs on Canadian agricultural products are a retaliatory measure against its electric vehicle duties and its unilateral, unjustified tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum products.”

“If Canada is prepared to correct this practice, China will also respond accordingly,” he added.

As a reminder, Beijing, the world’s largest canola importer, imposed preliminary tariffs of 75.8% on Canadian oilseed imports in August. Analysts previously noted that the European Union could become a major market for Canadian canola, with imports expected to reach a record 7.3 million tonnes this season. Canada’s share, meanwhile, could reach 1.4 million tonnes.

Tags: China, Canada, rapeseed, duties