OTTAWA (Reuters) -Canadian officials had constructive talks with their Chinese counterparts about Beijing’s duties on canola during a recent visit, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office said in a statement on Friday.
China, the world’s largest importer of canola, imposed preliminary duties of 75.8% on Canadian canola seed imports in August. A final ruling will not come until next year.
The delegation, led by the premier of the major grain-growing Canadian province of Saskatchewan, also included Kody Blois, a legislator who advises Carney on agriculture. It was in China from September 6-9.
The officials discussed “several trade irritants, including duties imposed on imports of canola products from Canada. The delegation had constructive discussions to these ends with Chinese officials,” said the statement.
“The visit paves the way for further constructive engagement with Chinese counterparts to find pragmatic solutions to shared trade concerns.”
Carney said last week that he and other senior ministers would work to resolve the dispute. Canada, the world’s largest exporter of canola, shipped almost C$5 billion ($3.63 billion) of canola products to China in 2024.
(Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Mark Porter and Nia Williams)
