MAGA opened a Pandora’s box by betraying all of our closest allies – that could end up creating even worse damage to US manufacturing.
Video above summarizes Canadian media accounts of national debate heating up rapidly – should Canada encourage Chinese EV imports?
China will remove its tariffs on Canadian agriculture — including on canola products — if Canada scraps its levies on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs), that country’s ambassador says.
“If Canada removes the unilateral unjustified tariffs on Chinese products, China will also reciprocate accordingly,” Wang Di said through a translator in an exclusive interview with CTV Question Period airing Sunday. “And if the EV tariffs are removed, then China will also remove the tariffs on the relevant products of Canada.”
Canada has had 100 per cent tariffs on all EVs imported from China since last October, following the United States’ lead. It was a move aimed at protecting domestic manufacturing and national security, according to the federal government at the time.
The previous government also said at the time that China engages in the unfair subsidization of its EV industry, which allows it to flood the market with its product.
Canada also has 25 per cent tariffs in place on Chinese steel and aluminum.
China has since levied tariffs of its own on Canadian agriculture, including notably on canola products, with a 100 per cent tariff on Canadian canola oil and meal and a 75.8 per cent tariff on canola seed.
“The question you have raised touches the crux of the problems in our trade relations,” Wang told CTV Question Period host Vassy Kapelos, when asked whether China’s tariffs are a direct response to Canada’s EV levies. “China’s tariffs on Canadian agricultural products are a countermeasure against the EV tariffs and the unilateral unjustified tariffs on China’s steel and aluminum products.”
“If Canada is ready to correct this practice, China will also respond accordingly,” he also said.
….should Canada encourage Chinese EV imports? YEAH, BABY!!!!! We should also encourage them to manufacture their EV products in Canada…..possibly in some of the assembly plants abandoned by American automakers.
I concur but I do have questions such as
1. will they meet current federal and provincially mandated safety specs
2. what user data is going to be sent to the Beijing government one way or another?
3. Will there be “kill” switches, just like there are in Tesla’s, that give the manufacturer , and in this case that also means the government, that gives them the ability to “brick” the vehicles if, say, there is a falling out between Canada and China?
We also need to consider ABs reaction to this (not giving Smith et al. more separation ammunition) as well as the overall lack of fast charging stations across our country.
Stellantis just showed their true colours so I hope no Canadian buys their vehicles any more. Ford’s CEO recently said something to the effect that they can’t compete on a level playing field with BYD and other big Chinese EV makers, my repose to that is TFB – no one should have to pay near on $100,00 CDN for a pickup truck
I wouldn’t be too concerned about user data being collected. Western countries have already signaled they don’t give a shit. Big Tech has been scooping up your personal data for over two decades and BTW, Big Tech is running the government these days.
I despise Musk as much as anyone, maybe (there’s a lot of crazy hates out there) and despite Tesla’s former importance in developing and disseminating the EV, I hope the company continues to tank at a humiliating rate as long as the muskrat’s involved, but no, there is no kill switch in any way that that’s ever meant.