China Canada Photo: VCG

China has submitted a request to Canada for consultations at the WTO on the additional tariffs Ottawa decided to impose on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) and steel and aluminum products, China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) announced on Friday.

China urges Canada to abide by WTO rules and immediately correct its wrong doings following its announcement of a 100-percent tariff on China-made EVs and a 25-percent tariff on imported steel and aluminum products from China. 

Such moves are typical unilateralist and trade protectionist approaches that seriously undermine the rules-based multilateral trading system and disrupt global industrial and supply chains, MOFCOM said, adding that China is firmly against it.

China's latest move came after MOFCOM on Tuesday announced decisive measures against Canada, including plans to initiate dispute settlement proceedings at the WTO and launch an anti-discriminaton probe.

"The submission underscores China's firm commitment to multilateralism, and shows that China seeks to resolve trade issues with Canada under WTO rules in a bid to avoid the escalation of trade frictions," said Zhou Mi, a senior research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation.

The Chinese Embassy in Canada expressed strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to Canada's latest decision to impose additional tariffs on Chinese-made EVs and other products, vowing to take "necessary measures" to safeguard Chinese firms' legitimate rights and interests.

As for the dispute at the WTO, Canada is unlikely to win since it's unreasonable for it to impose additional tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and other products, Zhou said. 

"Chinese new-energy products are a good choice for Canada to fulfill its climate change commitment and diversify its imports," Zhou said, noting that ordinary Canadian consumers have to pay higher prices without Chinese products.