China's action against Richardson International on Tuesday,local time,follows non-compliance notices alleging that some imports from Canada were contaminated with pests or bacteria. Canada disputes that claim.
"I am very concerned by what we've heard has happened to Richardson. We do not believe there's any scientific basis for this,"Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said in Montreal."We are working very,very hard with the Chinese government on this issue."
The loss of the shipping permit comes as Canada proceeds with an extradition hearing for Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou,who is the daughter of Huawei's founder. She was arrested by Canada at the request of the United States,where she is wanted on fraud charges.
It wouldn't be the first time Beijing has retaliated against nations that offend it. China suspended its bilateral trade deal with Norway and restricted imports of Norwegian salmon after the Nobel peace prize was awarded to Chinese political prisoner Liu Xiaobo in 2010.
Britain and other countries were retaliated against over meetings with the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama,considered a dangerous separatist by Beijing.
Canadian Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said in a statement that the government was closely monitoring the situation and any potential impact on Canada's agricultural trading relationship with China.
She said the Canadian Food Inspection Agency conducted further investigations after China issued the notices of non-compliance on canola seed imports,including nine since January,and said the agency had not identified any pests or bacteria of concern.