China courts Canada amid tensions with United States

Wang described the actions of the USA as "bullying" and suggested that China and Canada should form a partnership against Washington's attempts to undermine the rules governing global politics and encourage other countries to join. He referred to Canada as China's "neighbor" across the Pacific.

We have taken notice that, faced with the U.S.’s unilateral bullying, Canada has not backed down. Instead, Canada is standing on the right side of the history, on the right side of international fairness and justice - Wang said.

He added that China and Canada seem to be the only countries taking "concrete and real countermeasures against the unjustified United States tariffs." He also mentioned that China wants to use current opportunities to cooperate with Canada and other countries to decisively uphold the UN-based international system and the WTO-centered (World Trade Organization) multilateral trading system, to counteract any regressive practices.

Ottawa has repeatedly highlighted China as one of the threats to Canada and as a country responsible for attempts to influence Canada's internal politics. Federal elections will be held in Canada next Monday.

Polls indicate the Liberal Party as the likely winner, and its leader, current Prime Minister Mark Carney, called China "Canada's biggest security threat" during a debate, and the next day accused China of supporting Russia in the invasion of Ukraine.

Relations between Canada and China have been strained, especially since the imprisonment of two Canadians, Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, in China in December 2018. They were arrested after Huawei's vice president, Meng Wanzhou, was detained in Canada at the request of the USA, and were only released in 2021 when the extradition proceedings for Meng in a Vancouver court concluded at the request of the USA.

In March, Canada's Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly informed that four Canadians were executed in China in recent months.

At the end of March this year, Canada filed a complaint against China with the WTO regarding tariffs imposed on Canadian agricultural products and seafood. In 2024, Canada imposed a 100 percent tariff on electric cars and a 25 percent tariff on steel and aluminum imported from China.

Wang told The Canadian Press that Beijing is willing to drop tariffs against Canada if Canada suspends its tariffs against China. He added that relations between the two countries should be governed by market principles and rules, not ideological decisions.

Last week, Bloomberg reported that Chinese refineries have significantly increased their oil imports from Canada, after reducing oil imports from the USA by 90 percent. In early May last year, the expanded Trans Mountain pipeline began operating, allowing tankers to load Canadian oil from a terminal near Vancouver. Ultimately, the pipeline will transport 890,000 barrels of oil per day.

Bloomberg reported that in March, Chinese oil imports through the Vancouver terminal amounted to 7.3 million barrels, and in April, it might be even higher. Meanwhile, oil imports from the USA by China have dropped from 29 million barrels in June 2024 to currently 3 million.

Quoted by The Canadian Press, Professor Roland Paris from the University of Ottawa, specializing in international policy, said that Beijing is trying to promote its interests, and these actions have often put China at odds with Canada.

He warned that Canadian companies should approach Beijing's actions cautiously, as in the past, it has engaged in economic actions similar to those currently undertaken by the US under President Donald Trump's administration.

The Canadian Press explained that the proposal for the interview came from the Chinese embassy, and the interview was conducted with the help of a translator.