On Friday, Beijing officially filed a complaint with the WTO against restrictions applied to products containing melted or cast steel in China.
Last month, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that products containing Chinese steel would face a 25% additional duty, aiming to protect the domestic industry against high U.S. tariffs.
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce described the tariffs as “discriminatory,” stating:
“This is a prototypical measure reflecting unilateralism and protectionism that harms China’s legal rights and disrupts the global stability of steel supply chains.”
China expressed disappointment with the decision and called on Canada to “correct its erroneous actions” emphasizing the importance of upholding multilateral trade rules and improving trade relations between the two countries.
The Canadian press sought comments from Canada’s Global Affairs Ministry on Friday but had not received a response.
Rising Trade Tensions
In July, Carney announced new protective measures for the steel industry, noting that some foreign competitors were gaining “unfair advantages” from market distortions. The Canadian government defended the move, citing potential dumping concerns.
Trade tensions escalated further when China imposed a 76% tariff on Canadian canola seeds starting Thursday, viewed as a response to Canada’s 100% tariff on China-made electric vehicles.
China claimed the measure was based on an anti-dumping investigation, while Ottawa denied dumping allegations regarding canola.
“A Cynical Ploy”
Toronto-based international trade lawyer Lawrence Herman told The Canadian Press that China’s WTO complaint is “a cynical ploy.” Herman asserted that China frequently acts against WTO rules through its state capitalism practices and subsidized export policies.
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