(Ottawa) China announced on Tuesday the taxation of preliminary customs duties of 75.8 % on the Canadian Canola, following an anti -dumping survey launched last year in response to Canadian customs duties on Chinese electric vehicles.
The Chinese Commerce Ministry published the details of the plan on Tuesday, saying that the Canadian canola dumping on the Chinese market is harming its internal canola oil market.
The Canola Canadian Council (CCC) indicates that “anti -dumping surveys are open when a country suspects that a product is imported at a price lower than that to which it is sold in the country where it is produced. »»
“The CCC is convinced that canola trade between Canada and China is in accordance with international trade rules,” said a statement published on the organization’s website before China’s announcement.
The Council has not yet commented on Tuesday’s customs decision.
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce also indicated Tuesday, in a separate publication on social networks, that the two countries had met four days ago to discuss trade.
“The two parties have had in-depth and frank exchanges on bilateral economic and commercial relations and their main economic and commercial concerns, and have exchanged their views on the deepening of bilateral, regional and multilateral economic and commercial cooperation,” reads publication.
The Cabinet of the Canadian Prime Minister referred any comments on customs duties to the Canola to the Minister of International Trade, which did not immediately respond to a comment request.
Canada imposed customs duties of 100 % on Chinese electric vehicles in October. 2024, a measure that will be re -examined within a year.
Canada provides most of its canola to China, but it currently exports very few electric vehicles to Canada.
Last year, when Canada imposed customs duties on Chinese electric vehicles – which are much cheaper than those manufactured in North America, partly thanks to less strict work and environmental standards and public subsidies – it justified this measure by the protection of “transformation and investments provided in the Canadian automotive sector”.
“Actors and China have chosen to give itself an unfair advantage in the global market, compromising the safety of our essential industries and moving the dedicated Canadian workers of the automobile and metallurgy. We therefore take measures to remedy this, “said Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of the time.
Chinese customs duties on electric vehicles corresponded to a similar measure taken by the then American president Joe Biden.
But faced with the fall in sales of electric vehicles in Canada following the steep end of the popular government program of incitement for zero emission vehicles, which offered up to $ 5,000 in reduction in the cost of a new electric vehicle, environmental groups asked Canada to review Chinese customs duties on electric vehicles to stimulate competition on the Canadian market.
“Authorize a limited quota of these affordable vehicles while recognizing vehicles approved by the EU […] The Canadian automotive market would open to fill important gaps, stimulate innovation and, in the end, make our automotive sector more competitive, “Clean Energy Canada said in July.
Canada is committed to restoring a form of discounts for Canadians wishing to buy a new electric vehicle, but has not yet given a deadline for the implementation of this measure.