Chinese tabloid dubs Canada ‘US colony’ over dumping threat

China should take “punitive” measures against Canada if new regulations from Ottawa against dumping of aluminium and steel target Beijing, Chinese tabloid the Global Times said in an editorial on Friday.

The widely read hawkish paper is run by the ruling Communist Party’s official People’s Daily, although its stance does not necessarily reflect Chinese government policy.

The editorial excoriated Ottawa for what it characterised as vacillation between the US and China, referring to recent comments made by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about steel and aluminium dumping.

Canada has “sound trade ties and … no major disputes,” with China, it said.

Canada’s imports of Chinese steel make up a small proportion of its total imports and it imports nearly no aluminium from China, the editorial said, adding that “Canada is more like a US colony economically”.