China said it will impose retaliatory tariffs on imports of rapeseed oil, pork and seafood from Canada as the trade war escalates.
There will be a 100% tariff on rapeseed oil and pea products, and a 25% levy on pork and some seafood imports, the Ministry of Finance said in a statement on Saturday. The changes will be effective March 20.
Canada last year imposed a 100% levy on electric cars and 25% on steel and aluminum from China. That led the Chinese government to launch an anti-dumping probe into rapeseed imports from Canada and lodge a complaint with the World Trade Organization to challenge the decision.
The levies hurt Chinese industries’ operations and investments, and “seriously violated” WTO rules, the government said.
Canada is one of the world’s largest producers of rapeseed, a crop also known as canola. China is expected to import about 1.75 million tons of rapeseed oil this season, but it brings in larger volumes of the raw oilseed, USDA forecasts show.
China’s pork imports have dwindled in recent years as it grapples with domestic oversupply amid a weakening economy.
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