China has announced a 73.5 per cent preliminary anti-dumping tariff on imports of Canadian pea starch, with the measure set to take effect on July 1, following a trade investigation that lasted more than 10 months.
China’s Ministry of Commerce said its investigation concluded that Canadian pea starch was being sold in the Chinese market at unfairly low prices, resulting in material harm to domestic producers. The preliminary duties will remain in place while the anti-dumping investigation continues.
The investigation was launched in August 2025, the same day Beijing imposed preliminary anti-dumping measures on Canadian canola. Those actions intensified a trade dispute that began after Canada introduced tariffs on Chinese electric vehicle imports.
The latest tariff announcement signals that trade tensions between the two countries continue despite recent efforts to stabilize bilateral relations.
Earlier this year, Prime Minister Mark Carney visited Beijing, where Canada and China reached an initial understanding to significantly reduce tariff rates on Canadian canola exports and suspend duties on several Canadian agricultural products, including a previously imposed 100 per cent tariff on Canadian peas.
However, the new duties on Canadian pea starch suggest that while some areas of the agricultural trade dispute have eased, broader trade disagreements between Ottawa and Beijing remain unresolved.
