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    Sino-Canadian relations hit a new low

    European Newsdesk Posted on

    OTTAWA: The frosty relations between China and Canada showed no signs of thawing; instead, they continued to deteriorate over issues such as trade disputes, agricultural tariffs, and the Taiwan conflict. However, the recent execution of four Canadian citizens by China escalated the tensions to an unprecedented level. This shook the public sentiments as well as high-level strategists in Canada.

    While many saw the execution as a politically motivated move, serious concerns were raised over the due process and human rights violations. “These shocking and inhumane executions of Canadian citizens by Chinese authorities should be a wake-up call for Canada,” said Ketty Nivyabandi, Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada.

    Lawmakers, strategists and experts viewed the Chinese action as a “strong signal” that China had no intention of patching things up with Canada. “Executing the Canadians citizens in short order was unprecedented, and is clearly a sign that Beijing has no intention of improving relations with Canada,” said Canadian lawmaker Michael Chong. China, however, demanded that Canada respect the judicial decisions of execution if the bilateral ties between the two countries were to be improved. 

    Michael Kovrig, who was once detained by Beijing, said the Chinese statement must be viewed as “empty propaganda and the executions showed “both a callous disregard for human life and human rights, and also indifference to the views of other countries. China’s government is not sincerely interested in improving bilateral relations,” he said.

    The executions were a “deeply troubling” development, which would only deteriorate the ties, said Vina Nadjibulla, the vice-president of research and strategy at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. “For those people who were hoping that in the current climate China may wish to strengthen relations with Canada, this shows that that is really not the case. This is a clear, disturbing development in the bilateral relationship,” she said.

    In March this year, China announced a 100 percent tariff on Canadian canola oil, oil cakes and pea imports, as well as a 25 percent duty on aquatic products and pork. The Canadian government has expressed its concerns over the trade disputes with China. “There are partners in Asia that we can build deeper ties (with) … but the partners in Asia that share our values don’t include China,” said Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

    Ottawa said it was “deeply disappointed” by Beijing’s decision, which hurts farmers, businesses in Canada and consumers in China. Canada has filed a complaint against China in the World Trade Organisation (WTO).  Interestingly, China also had in 2024 approached the WTO against Canada’s trade practices and launched an anti-dumping probe into Canadian imports of rapeseed products. Now the latest Chinese tariff and duty have worsened the matter.

    Canada’s international trade minister Mary Ng said the “unjustified tariffs” imposed by China were deeply disappointing. “Canada does not accept the premise of China’s investigation, nor its findings,” she said.  China even used strong words when the latest tariffs and duties were introduced. “China urges Canada to immediately correct its wrong practices, lift restrictive measures and eliminate adverse effects,” China’s Ministry of Commerce said. 

    Blaming China for subsidising its EV industry, which gave its domestic car manufacturers an unfair advantage, Canada had imposed 100 percent tariff on China-made electric cars. This decision was not in line with Canada’s long-standing tradition of diplomatic caution as Ottawa chose to take direct action against what it perceived as unfair trade practices by China rather than approaching the WTO.

    International trade and business lawyer Bernard Colas said the Canadian decision marked a shift in international trade relations, which would strain the bilateral relations further. “The potential repercussions are not limited to the automotive sector. China has already launched an anti-dumping investigation into Canadian exports of canola seed. This action could further erode economic relations between Canada and China,” said Colas, who is a senior fellow at Ontario-based Centre for International Governance Innovation.

    The conflicts over geopolitical issues are also contributing to the widening differences between the two countries. Earlier this year, China condemned a Canadian warship passing through the Taiwan Strait. Chinese army said Canadian action “deliberately stirred up trouble” in the strait. Canada also expressed concerns over the military drills carried out by the Chinese army, which are seen in the context of the annexation of Taiwan with mainland China.

    Beijing even objected to Canadian policymakers visiting Taiwan to explore trade opportunities, further issuing threats of “forceful measures.” Canada did not pay heed. “The travel of parliamentarians should not be used as a pretext for escalation or aggressive military and economic actions,” said a foreign ministry official.         

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