Written in WORLD he 2/10/2024 · 06:30 hs
EFE.- China filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) against the tariffs imposed by Canada on electric vehicles and on steel and aluminum from the Asian giant, which came into force this Tuesday.
The action was announced today by China’s Ministry of Commerce in a statement on its website, which accuses Ottawa of “ignoring objective facts, international economic and trade norms, objections and discouragement from many parties” and “insisting on following certain countries to take unilateral containment measures against China”, in reference to the United States.
Chinese authorities argue that Canadian actions “violate the principles of market economy and fair competition, seriously undermine normal economic and trade cooperation between Chinese and Canadian enterprises, seriously affect economic and trade relations between the two countries , and disrupt the global industrial chain and supply chain.”
The Chinese trade ministry also urged Ottawa “to consider bilateral economic and trade cooperation in a rational and objective manner”, “to respect the facts and abide by WTO rules” and “not to move further and further away from the right path.” “.
“China will take all necessary measures to firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies,” the ministry statement said.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in August that Canada would impose a 100% tariff on the import of Chinese electric vehicles, as well as another 25% tariff on steel and aluminum from the Asian giant.
The tariffs match those imposed by the United States and their announcement came hours after Jake Sullivan, US President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, met with Trudeau and the Canadian government.
Trudeau justified the decision by stating that China’s industrial policies are subsidizing its companies to the detriment of its Western competitors, a reasoning similar to that put forward by other actors such as the European Union, which also imposed tariffs on electric vehicles from some Chinese brands.
