The Canadian government announced on Monday additional tariffs of 100% on electric vehicles imported from China, a measure similar to that adopted by the United States to stop the arrival in North America of cars from that origin subsidized by Beijing.
Accusing China of “unfair competition,” the announcement follows a similar one made by the United States in May and another by the European Union (EU) which imposed tariffs of up to 38% last July.
“China does not play by the same rules as other countries,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at a press conference in Halifax (east).
The 100% tariffs are added to the 6.1% already in place for this sector.
Ottawa will also impose additional tariffs of 25% on steel and aluminum imports from China starting October 15.
Faced with the “challenge” posed by Chinese producers “who benefit from unfair and anti-market policies and practices,” Canada is acting “in harmony with other economies around the world,” Trudeau said.
The West accuses China of destroying competition in other sectors such as wind power, solar panels and batteries for electric vehicles.
Canada’s vehicle decision includes electric cars, trucks, buses and delivery vans and some hybrid models.
“We must defend Canadian jobs and Canadian interests,” Trudeau insisted.
Canada has been seeking for years to attract major players in the electric mobility sector, through tax incentives, its clean energy policies and its significant reserves of rare minerals used to manufacture batteries for the automotive sector.
