China ratchets up pressure on Canada by suspending another canola exporter
BEIJING — China said Wednesday it suspended a second major Canadian canola exporter over alleged safety concerns, further deepening a diplomatic row set off by Canada’s decision to detain a top executive with telecom giant Huawei.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said China’s actions were “scientific and reasonable,” but added that Canada should “take practical measures to correct the mistakes it made earlier” in the bilateral relationship.
China suspended the licence of canola seeds from Viterra Inc. on Tuesday, citing hazardous organisms in shipments. Geng said it acted “in line with relevant Chinese laws and regulations, as well as the international practice.”
The latest punitive measure is a blow to $2 billion worth of exports and is widely seen as retaliation for Canada’s arrest of Meng Wanzhou, the daughter of Huawei’s founder, at the behest of the United States.