Canada can’t escape China, so here’s how it can build a bridge to ease trade tensions

Episode 109 of Down to Business podcast

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In June, Canada formally requested that the World Trade Organization’s Dispute Settlement Body form a panel to look into China’s decision in 2019 to halt canola seed imports from two major Canadian producers.

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It’s a new phase in a long simmering dispute, and it shows how Canada’s trade with China is increasingly contentious.

This week, on Down to Business, Sharon Zhengyang Sun, trade policy economist for the Canada West Foundation, and a distinguished fellow for the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, spoke about the implications of Canada’s trade tensions with China.

Sun, who is based in Calgary, believes that China’s economic clout growing means Canada can’t disengage. Instead, she believes that our agricultural sector, with crops like canola, could provide a means to engage with China. As always the interview is edited for clarity and brevity.

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