China defends ban on Canadian canola, saying it reported pest problem on four occasions
- Block on two Canadian exporters ‘legitimate, reasonable’, Chinese embassy says in response to complaints from Ottawa
- Customs agency notified Canadian government it had ‘intercepted quarantine pests’ on January 4, March 1, March 15 and March 26, it says
China’s embassy in Ottawa has defended Beijing’s ban on two Canadian canola exporters, saying it had found pests in shipments of the oilseed crop on four occasions since January.
In a statement published on its website on Saturday the embassy called the measures “legitimate, reasonable and in compliance with Chinese laws and regulations as well as international practices”, adding that they had been taken as a “safety precaution”.
In response, the embassy said that China’s General Administration of Customs notified the Canadian government on January 4, March 1, March 15 and March 26 that it had “intercepted quarantine pests in imported Canadian canola”.
The agency also asked its Canadian counterpart to warn the relevant companies of the problem, it said.