Opinion
Canada’s agriculture minister appears to have received the cold shoulder from the Chinese government during his visit to Beijing last week.
Lawrence MacAulay met with representatives from Chinese industry associations, but multiple industry sources report he was unable to get a formal bilateral meeting with his Chinese counterpart or government representatives.
The visit aimed to address potential duties against Canadian canola in retaliation for Canada’s new tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and batteries, with the overarching goal of promoting Canadian agricultural exports, including beef and pork.
The trip, which was not publicly acknowledged by the Canadian government until this week, was MacAulay’s sixth trade mission to China over his two terms as Canada’s ag minister. However, the Chinese government appears to have been less receptive than during his past visits.
As of Nov. 21, we can confirm a bilateral meeting was not secured prior to MacAulay’s departure for Beijing, based on testimony from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s assistant deputy minister Tom Rosser at the House of Commons’ agriculture committee meeting on Thursday morning.
A Canadian government minister would typically only make a trip like this if a bilateral meeting with their counterpart from the host country had been arranged, especially with China, according to several people RealAgriculture spoke with who have experience with ministerial trips.
Despite this, MacAulay’s office tells us he still had “a very productive visit” with “key Chinese agricultural interlocutors.”
The term “interlocutor” might be even more vague than the usual “stakeholder” description that governments use. The dictionary says it’s “someone who participates in a discussion or conversation, sometimes as a go-between.”
To get slightly more specific, the list of Chinese people MacAulay’s office says he met with included representatives from the China Customs and Brokers Association, China Import/Export Quarantine Association, China Meat Association, and the China Chamber of Commerce of Import & Export of Foodstuffs, Native Produce and Animal By-Products — none of which are officially part of the Chinese government.
The trip coincided with the Canada China Business Council’s annual general meeting and business forum, at which MacAulay was one of the keynote speakers on Nov. 15.
The minister also participated in a roundtable meeting with Canadian industry, including representatives from Ocean Choice International, HyLife, Maple Leaf Foods, Richardson, Paterson Grain, Pulse Canada, Bunge, Canada Pork, MARS, the Canadian Meat Council, the Canadian Pork Council, and the Canada China Business Council.
The red meat industry groups took the opportunity to announce the creation of the Canada Meat Advocacy Office in Beijing, although their initial announcement interestingly made no mention of MacAulay’s trip or the Canadian government’s involvement.
While export promotion and industry engagement remain critical, failure to secure a bilateral meeting is a sign of the deterioration of Canada-China relations. It does not bode well for successful resolution to the threat of retaliatory tariffs on Canadian canola or the long-awaited restoration of market access for Canadian beef.
If getting rebuffed was likely, it also raises strategic questions about the decision by the Prime Minister’s Office to send MacAulay to Beijing at this time.
As geopolitical tensions between China and the West remain heightened, the treatment MacAulay received underlines the risk that lies ahead with Canada’s second largest agricultural export market. Ultimately, supply and demand often dictate China’s behaviour when it comes to trade, but political decisions are a major factor. This is the latest—and likely not the last—example of Canada and its interests being disregarded in China.
Editor’s note: This column was updated Thursday morning with new information from the House of Commons’ ag committee meeting.
