Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun
China's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that additional tariffs on Canadian agricultural and fishery products are "entirely justified, reasonable and lawful," while urging Ottawa to take "concrete actions" to correct its wrongdoings.
Asked about media reports of Canada filing a complaint at the World Trade Organization (WTO) against China's tariffs on the relevant Canadian imports, FM spokesperson Guo Jiakun referred specific questions to relevant Chinese authorities.
"I would like to point out that Canada, despite China's repeated admonitions, insisted on taking discriminatory restrictive measures against some Chinese imports, which seriously violates WTO rules, disrupts the normal trade order and seriously damages China's legitimate rights and interests," Guo told a regular press conference.
Guo stated that China's necessary countermeasures are entirely justified, reasonable and lawful. "We urge Canada to take concrete actions to correct its wrongdoings and provide a fair, non-discriminatory and predictable environment for normal trade and cooperation between businesses of the two countries," Guo added.
The Chinese authorities announced in early March the imposition of additional 100 percent tariffs on Canadian rapeseed oil, oil cakes and peas, while levying 25 percent extra duties on aquatic products and pork, based on relevant laws, effective from March 20, 2025.
These measures came after the authorities' anti-discrimination investigation concluded that Canada's previous restrictive measures against some Chinese imports had disrupted the normal trade order and harmed the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Commerce.
According to a news release published on Monday on the WTO's official website, Canada has "requested WTO dispute consultations with China concerning Chinese measures that impose additional import duties on certain agricultural and fishery products from Canada."
Canada's latest WTO trade move constitutes a legitimate exercise of its rights as a WTO member, for which China has respect, He Weiwen, a senior fellow at the Center for China and Globalization said, noting that under the WTO framework, both parties will first engage in consultation talks before potentially proceeding to the panel adjudication stage if no resolution is reached.
"The core of dispute settlement lies in compliance with WTO multilateral rules rather than unilateral measures," He told the Global Times on Tuesday, emphasizing that China's countermeasures against Canada's previous unreasonable tariffs on Chinese imports represent lawful responses based on thorough investigations.
While the process may take a long time, conducting dialogue and consultations within the WTO framework would facilitate an amicable resolution to the trade disputes between China and Canada, ultimately helping achieve mutually beneficial outcomes, Gao Lingyun, an expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
"This approach aligns with China's consistent advocacy of adhering to the WTO's principle of equal dialogue," Gao noted.
Both He and Gao stressed that China's responsive measures are legally justified actions grounded in factual inquiries. They urged Canada to refrain from following certain countries' hegemonic trade policies and avoid politicizing trade issues, affirming that resolving trade frictions through multilateral mechanisms remains the proper and necessary approach.
