China is looking to repair its relationship and trading partnership with Canada as its ongoing trade war with the U.S. intensifies.
Beijing's ambassador to Canada, Wang Di, says China is interested in stepping up trade with Ottawa, arguing that the U.S. is pursuing a trade war that will hurt the global economy.
“Unilateralism and trade protectionism have brought more instabilities and uncertainties to the world economic recovery,” Wang told reporters.
Wang was speaking at a trade-promotion event hosted by the Chinese embassy in Ottawa.
The comments come on a day when the U.S. blacklisted more than 50 Chinese companies in an effort to curb Beijing’s artificial intelligence (A.I.) chip capabilities.
The U.S. has been targeting both China and Canada with import tariffs, and U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to make Canada the 51st state.
Speaking in Ottawa, Wang stressed that China's volume of trade with Canada continues to increase, despite tense political relations in recent years.
Still, Wang’s comments come days after China imposed a 100% tariff on Canadian canola and a 25% duty on pork.
Wang stressed that China’s latest tariffs on Canada were in response to Ottawa imposing 100% tariffs on Chinese electrical vehicles, citing the need to protect the North American auto market.
The ambassador said that China would be willing to consider negotiating a free-trade deal with Canada as the U.S. government grows more protectionist over trade matters.
Canada’s federal government entered negotiations with China in 2017 for a possible free trade deal, but the talks fell apart after Ottawa insisted on including language around labour and environmental issues.
There have also been political tensions between the two countries in recent years following the detention in Canada of a high-profile Chinese executive at the request of the U.S.
Despite these issues, Wang said China and Canada should work together for their mutual prosperity.
