China has lodged a formal complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) over Canada’s steel import restrictions, the country’s commerce ministry announced on Friday, marking a fresh escalation in ongoing trade tensions between Beijing and Ottawa.
Relations between the two nations have been strained in recent years, with both economic and political ties deteriorating despite facing similar tariff pressures from former U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration.
Last month, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney introduced an additional 25% tariff on steel imports containing metal melted and poured in China, citing the need to shield Canada’s domestic steel industry. The move followed the United States’ decision to raise steel import duties to 50%, sparking concerns that excess steel could be redirected and dumped into the Canadian market.
In its statement, China’s commerce ministry denounced Canada’s measures as “discriminatory” and a violation of WTO rules, describing them as “unilateral and protectionist” actions that harm China’s rights and destabilize the global steel supply chain.
The WTO complaint comes shortly after Beijing imposed temporary duties on Canadian canola, preliminary levies on halogenated butyl rubber, and launched an anti-dumping investigation into Canadian pea starch imports. Earlier this week, Canada expressed “deep disappointment” over the canola tariffs.
These developments follow a series of tit-for-tat measures: in March, China doubled tariffs on several Canadian agricultural goods, citing Ottawa’s earlier decision to impose 100% duties on Chinese electric vehicles.
