Suspension of Canadian canola imports 'reasonable'

The Chinese government has proper grounds to suspend the import of canola from Canada because of quarantine problems, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Wednesday.

Recently, China Customs has repeatedly found dangerous organisms in canola imported from Canada, and a Canadian company has had severe quarantine problems with its canola shipments to China, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a daily news conference.

The government has canceled the registration for Canadian agribusiness Richardson International to ship canola to China, Reuters quoted the company as saying on Tuesday.

Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said on Tuesday that she is "very concerned" and that she does not believe "there is any scientific basis for this".

China Customs decided to suspend the canola imports according to relevant laws and international practice, which is completely reasonable and legal, Lu said.

Canada is the world's largest canola producer, as well as the top exporter of rapeseed oil and canola.

Lu noted that Canada must be aware that once pests are imported, it poses a serious threat to agricultural production and ecological security.