China says pest concerns justify ban on Canadian canola

China is blocking some imports of the agricultural product canola from Canada due to fears of insect infestation, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.

The move comes amid a conflict between the countries over Canada's arrest of a Chinese technology company executive and is seen by some as a new tactic to achieve leverage over Ottawa.

China acted to suspend canola imports from a Canadian company"in accordance with laws and regulations and internationalpractice," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said at a daily news briefing.

Lu cited "harmful organisms" he did not further identify as athreat. He said China's government "needs to protect the health andsafety of its own people."

"I can tell you responsibly that the Chinese government'sdecision is definitely well founded. Upon verification, China customs has recently detected dangerous pests in canola importedfrom Canada many times," Lu said.

One of Canada's largest grain processors, Winnipeg-based RichardsonInternational Ltd., said Tuesday that China had revoked its permitto export canola.

Some saw that as retaliation for Canada's arrest of HuaweiCFO MengWanzhou.

Canada is proceeding with an extradition hearing for Meng, the daughter of Huawei's founder. She wasarrested by Canada in December at the request of the U.S., where she is wantedon fraud charges for allegedly misleading banks about the company'sdealings with Iran.

Meng is due in a B.C. court Wednesday to fix a date for the extradition hearing.

China has a history of using trade measures to retaliate overperceived political slights. It suspended its bilateral trade dealwith Norway and restricted imports of Norwegian salmon after theNobel Peace Prize was awarded to Chinese political prisoner LiuXiaobo in 2010.

Britain and other countries were also retaliated against overmeetings with Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, considered a dangerous separatist by Beijing.

Canadian Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said in astatement the Canadian Food Inspection Agency conductedinvestigations after China issued notices of non-compliance oncanola seed imports, including nine since January, and it had not identified any pests or bacteria of concern.

Canada's Minister of International Trade, Jim Carr, says the government is treating the story as a "scientific issue" and not one tied to diplomatic and trade negotiations.

"We want evidence that there is anything wrong with this very high grade canola that is certified to be clean,"he said in an interview with CBC News on Wednesday."So we have asked the Chinese to show evidence of any problems."

China receives about 40 per cent of Canada's canola exports, andthe revocation of Richardson's permit hurts the entire value chainof industries involved in the market, the Canola Council of Canadahas said.

WATCH: Foreign Affairs MinisterChrystiaFreeland on China's action against Canadian canola

Freeland on China's action against Canadian canola

6 years ago

Duration 1:53

Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland spoke to reporters in Longueuil on Tuesday

Canola prices already have been hit by China's retaliatorytariffs on U.S. agricultural exports. Further cutbacks on Chinesebuying would deal a major blow to what is a lifeline for agriculturein Western Canada.

"We are working very, very hard with the Chinese government onthis issue," Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland
said Tuesday.

China has warned of serious consequences if the Huawei executiveis not released. China arrested two Canadians on Dec. 10 in what waswidely seen as an attempt to pressure Canada.

After Meng's arrest, a Chinese court also sentenced a Canadian todeath in a sudden retrial, overturning a 15-year prison term handeddown earlier.