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China on Saturday announced tariffs on Canadian agricultural and food products, retaliating against levies Ottawa introduced in October on Chinese-made electric vehicles and steel and aluminum products.
Announced by the commerce ministry, to take effect on March 20, the tariffs add a new front to a trade war largely driven by the announcement of the US President Donald Trump of tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China and threats of protectionist measures on other nations.
The ministry said in a statement that China would apply a 100% tariff to Canadian rapeseed oil, oil cakes and pea imports, and a 25% duty on Canadian aquatic products and pork.
According to the ministry, Canada’s 100% tariff on Chinese Electric Vehicles and 25% levy on its aluminum and steel products seriously violate World Trade Organization rules, constitute a typical act of protectionism and are discriminatory measures that severely harm China’s legitimate rights and interests.
Recall that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had in August said that Ottawa was imposing the levies to counter what he called China’s intentional state-directed policy of over-capacity, following the lead of the United States and European Union, both of which have also applied import levies to Chinese-made Electric Vehicles.
China is reportedly Canada’s second-largest trading partner, trailing far behind the United States.
In other news, President Donald Trump, addressing a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, cautioned that the United States economy would face a period of turbulence arising from his newly instituted tariffs, a forthright acknowledgment set against a backdrop of intensifying trade disputes precipitated by his administration’s imposition of broad import duties on Mexico, Canada, and China.
The president’s remarks followed his resolute advancement of these tariff increases, a policy rooted in his administration’s efforts to curb undocumented migration and narcotics flows—an escalation that has ignited a contentious international response.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a stern condemnation of the measures, swiftly enacting reciprocal tariffs, while China mirrored this stance with its own retaliatory actions, and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum vowed a robust counteroffensive, collectively underscoring a mounting global backlash to Trump’s trade strategy.
“Tariffs are not just about protecting American jobs. They’re about protecting the soul of our country,” Trump said Tuesday.
“There’ll be a little disturbance, but we’re okay with that. It won’t be much,” he added.
