China stops purchase of Canadian canola seeds

China has stopped all new purchases of Canadian canola seeds in what some see as retaliation for Canada's arrest of a top executive of Chinese tech giant Huawei.

The Canola Council of Canada said late Thursday exporters are reporting Chinese importers are unwilling to purchase the seeds at this time. In 2018, China bought about 40 percent of Canada's canola exports for a total of $2.1 billion.

Earlier this year, Beijing suspended canola imports from Canadian-based Richardson International Ltd. for what one Chinese official alleged was the detection of hazardous organisms in the company's product.

But David Mulroney, Canada's former ambassador to China, said the blockage of Canadian canola is "absolutely related" to the Huawei arrest. R