Trade Tensions Between China and Canada Increase and Logs this time are at the Forefront

Trade tensions between China and Canada have once again heated up and now logs are at forefront of a new dispute between the two countries. Approximately three weeks ago, a judge ruled the extradition proceeding against Huawei’s chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou, to the United States could proceed. Three weeks later, on June 9th, the Canadian government received 16 notifications from the Chinese government regarding non-compliance due to the discovery of pests in shipments of hardwood and softwood logs from Canada. China was the second-largest buyer of fir and spruce logs from Canada in 2019 next to the U.S., according to federal government data. Shipments from B.C. have already declined amid provincial policies to keep more supplies domestically. Last year China suspended the licenses of two major Canadian canola shippers. It cited pest and quarantine concerns, although the move was widely seen as retaliation over Meng’s arrest in late 2018.