Canada’s foreign affairs minister spoke with Chinese counterpart, federal government says

Canada’s minister of foreign affairs spoke with her Chinese counterpart while in Malaysia last week, the federal government said.

Foreign affairs minister Anita Anand visited Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to meet with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Why it matters: China has placed 100 per cent tariffs on Canadian farmers’ canola oil and meal and peas, and 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian pork and seafood.

While in Kuala Lumpur, Anand met with Wang Yi, China’s director of the office of the central commission for foreign affairs and minister of foreign affairs, a July 11 federal news release said.

“The ministers reiterated support for the upcoming meeting of the Joint Economic and Trade Commission, the next round of consular consultations and forthcoming counternarcotics discussions,” the release said.

China and Canada agreed to convene the commission “at an early date,” according to a June 5 statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.

The July 11 release said Anand and her Chinese counterpart discussed “challenges and opportunities in the bilateral relationship and agreed to remain in touch.”

In March, China levied 100 per cent tariffs on Canadian canola oil and meal and pea imports and placed 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian pork and seafood.

The move was in response to Canada’s 100 per cent tariff on Chinese electric vehicles and 25 per cent tariff on Chinese aluminum and steel products.

Since the tariff came into place, Chinese imports of Indian rapeseed meal have soared as China seeks to replace Canadian canola meal. In 2024, China imported 2.02 million metric tonnes of canola meal from Canada.