The Canadian government said on Aug 26 that it plans to impose a 100 percent additional tariff on imports of Chinese-made electric vehicles from Oct 1, and a 25 percent additional tariff on steel and aluminum products imported from China from Oct 15 to protect Canadian interests in the face of "unfair competition" from China.

In response, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce announced a number of countermeasures on Wednesday.

According to the ministry, China will initiate an "anti-discrimination investigation" into relevant restrictive measures taken by Canada; and it will launch an anti-dumping probe on canola imports from Canada; and it will organize an anti-dumping investigation on relevant Canadian chemical products based on domestic industry applications in accordance with WTO principles. China will bring Canada's relevant practices to the World Trade Organization dispute settlement mechanism.

This is the first time that China has launched an "anti-discrimination investigation" in the foreign trade sector. In terms of the additional tariff rate, Canada blindly followed the United States and did not conduct any investigation or research itself. Its decision is subjective, malicious and unscrupulous. It is an obvious discriminatory prohibition and restriction measure.

The basic principles of the WTO can be summarized as nondiscrimination, fair trade and transparency. This move by Canada seriously violates those basic principles, and openly challenges the international trade order. Canada's protectionist and unilateral moves seriously violate WTO rules and serve no party's interest. It is irresponsible for Ottawa to treat Canada's trading relations with China so recklessly and unprofessionally.

Canada's canola exports to China have increased significantly in recent years and it is suspected of dumping its excess capacity in the Chinese market, which seriously affects the interests of domestic canola-related industries. China's countermeasures indicate Beijing will take all necessary measures to defend the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies.

China has always been a defender and contributor to the multilateral trading system. All of China's countermeasures will comply with international law and WTO rules, and will be carried out within the scope of compliance and legality.

-Xinhua News Agency