Canada agrees to cut tariff on Chinese EVs in return for lower tariffs
on Canadian farm products
[January 16, 2026] By
KEN MORITSUGU
BEIJING (AP) — Breaking with the United States, Canada has agreed to cut
its 100% tariff on Chinese electric cars in return for lower tariffs on
Canadian farm products, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Friday.
Carney made the announcement after two days of meetings with Chinese
leaders. He said there would be an initial annual cap of 49,000 vehicles
on Chinese EV exports to Canada, growing to about 70,000 over five
years. China will reduce its total tariff on canola seeds, a major
Canadian export, from 84% to about 15%, he told reporters.
“It has been a historic and productive two days,” Carney said, speaking
outside against the backdrop of a traditional pavilion and a frozen pond
at a Beijing park. “We have to understand the differences between Canada
and other countries, and focus our efforts to work together where we’re
aligned.”
Earlier Friday, he and Chinese leader Xi Jinping pledged to improve
relations between their two nations after years of acrimony.
Xi told Carney in a meeting at the Great Hall of the People that he is
willing to continue working to improve ties, noting that talks have been
underway on restoring and restarting cooperation since the two held an
initial meeting in October on the sidelines of a regional economic
conference in South Korea.
“It can be said that our meeting last year opened a new chapter in
turning China–Canada relations toward improvement,” China's top leader
said.
Carney looks to improve global governance
Carney, the first Canadian prime minister to visit China in eight years,
told Xi that better relations would help improve a global governance
system that he described as “under great strain.”
Later, he said at the news conference that the system may give way at
least in part to country-to-country or regional agreements rather than
the global ones that have underpinned economic growth in the post-World
War II era.
“The question is: What gets built in that place? How much of a patchwork
is it?” he said.
The new reality reflects in large part the so-called America-first
approach of U.S. President Donald Trump. The tariffs he has imposed have
hit both the Canadian and Chinese economies. Carney, who has met with
several leading Chinese companies in Beijing, said ahead of his trip
that his government is focused on building an economy less reliant on
the U.S. at what he called “a time of global trade disruption.”
A Canadian business owner in China called Carney's visit game-changing,
saying it re-establishes dialogue, respect and a framework between the
two nations.
“These three things we didn’t have,” said Jacob Cooke, the CEO of WPIC
Marketing + Technologies, which helps exporters navigate the Chinese
market. “The parties were not talking for years.”
[to top of second column] |
Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, speaks to the media at Ritan
Park in Beijing, China, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Vincent
Thian)
 Canada had been aligned with US
on tariffs
Canada had followed the U.S. in putting tariffs of 100% on EVs from
China and 25% on steel and aluminum under former Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau, Carney’s predecessor.
China responded by imposing duties of 100% on Canadian canola oil
and meal and 25% on pork and seafood. It added a 75.8% tariff on
canola seeds last August. Collectively, the import taxes effectively
closed the Chinese market to Canadian canola, an industry group has
said. Overall, China's imports from Canada fell 10.4% last year to
$41.7 billion, according to Chinese trade data.
Carney tried to address the concerns of Canadian automakers and auto
workers by saying the initial cap on Chinese EV imports was about 3%
of the 1.8 million vehicles sold in Canada annually and that, in
exchange, China is expected to begin investing in the Canadian auto
industry within three years.
More than half of the Chinese EVs exported to Canada would have an
import price of less than 35,000 Canadian dollars ($25,000) within
five years, he said, making them accessible to consumers.
“We’re building (a) new part of our car industry, building cars of
the future in partnership, bringing affordable autos for Canadians
at a time when affordability is top of mind, and doing it at a scale
that allows for a smooth transition in the sector,” he said.
China sees an opening under Trump
China is hoping Trump’s pressure tactics on allies such as Canada
will drive them to pursue a foreign policy that is less aligned with
the United States. The U.S. president has suggested Canada could
become America's 51st state.
Carney, though, noted Canada's relationship with the U.S. is much
more multifaceted, deeper and broader. Canada and China have
different systems and disagree on issues such as human rights, he
said, limiting the scope of their engagement even as they seek ways
to cooperate on areas of common interest.
The Canadian leader departs China on Saturday and visits Qatar on
Sunday before attending the annual gathering of the World Economic
Forum in Switzerland next week. He will meet business leaders and
investors in Qatar to promote trade and investment, his office said.
___
Associated Press business writer Chan Ho-him in Hong Kong
contributed to this report.
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