China revokes Canada canola export registration; Canadian foreign minister expresses concern

 

Canada's foreign minister today condemned China's move to block Canada's main canola exporter. Tensions between Canada and China were already strained over the case of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou, and now the situation is escalating further. Winnipeg-based Richardson International Ltd is Canada's largest agricultural company, and its export registration for shipping canola to China was revoked on the 1st, potentially leaving Canadian farmers facing a supply glut. Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, herself the daughter of a canola farmer, said: "The situation Richardson International Ltd finds itself in concerns me greatly." She added: "We believe there is no scientific justification for this action." According to industry data, Canada exported more than CAD 5 billion (about NT$115.4 billion) worth of canola last year, nearly half of it to China, equivalent to 5 million tonnes. After Canada arrested Meng Wanzhou, CFO of Chinese telecom equipment giant Huawei Technologies, at the request of the United States in December last year, relations between Ottawa and Beijing fell into crisis. Washington is seeking to extradite Meng Wanzhou to the United States for trial, accusing her of violating U.S. sanctions against Iran and lying to several U.S. banks. The case has become a headache for Canada. Just days after Meng Wanzhou's arrest, China detained former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor one after another. Observers believe the arrests of Canadian citizens were clearly retaliatory actions by China.