After China and Canada reached an agreement on electric vehicle tariffs, the Canadian newspaper published an article titled "100 Questions About Buying Chinese Electric Vehicles." The article listed the opinions of over 100 Canadian citizens on Chinese electric vehicles, which surprised many people.

During Prime Minister Kan's visit to China, both sides reached a short-term quota agreement on electric vehicle and canola tariff issues. Canada allowed 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles to enter the Canadian market with a tariff of only 6.1% (previously 100%), in exchange for China's concessions on canola tariffs. Since the export volume of Chinese electric vehicles to Canada was about 30,000 units before the tariff increase in 2024, the total of 49,000 units this year generally met the export demand of China.

So, how do Canadian citizens view Chinese electric vehicles? The Canadian newspaper collected the opinions of more than 100 Canadian citizens yesterday and published the aforementioned article. I have presented the statements ranked at the top of the article (including Chinese translations):

First, a citizen named Mario Kinklas said (Figure 2): "Yes, China is now leading the United States and Europe in electric vehicles," and another citizen said: "Yes, because the quality is there."

This is the voice of ordinary citizens, who believe that Chinese electric vehicles are reliable in quality.

Second, a citizen named Mike Laroque said: "All car column writers agree that Chinese cars are very good. North American manufacturers had the opportunity to make such electric vehicles, but they failed. With this new competition, it should be beneficial to Canadian consumers."

This statement quotes professional opinions, believing that introducing Chinese electric vehicles will benefit consumers.

Third, a Canadian named Alan Picard (Figure 3) highly values the BYD brand, believing that the brand's quality and appearance have been recognized. The European and American automotive industry as a whole is lazy and has not invested as much R&D capital as BYD. He also said that if a Chinese electric vehicle is priced below $35,000 and has a suitable distribution network in all regions of Canada, he believes many people would not hesitate to test drive it.

This statement evaluates from three perspectives: appearance, cost-effectiveness, and sales network, which aligns with the psychology of general car consumers.

From these over 100 comments, it can be summarized that ordinary Canadian consumers welcome the entry of Chinese electric vehicles into the European and American markets and their participation in competition, as it benefits consumers. Some professionals also listed many performance data, believing that the cost-effectiveness of Chinese electric vehicles far exceeds that of local North American cars.

Therefore, Kan's decision to open up the Canadian market to Chinese electric vehicles is not only due to trade negotiations compromise, but also respects the public opinion in Canada. Because protecting domestic enterprises alone cannot allow them to grow rapidly in a greenhouse environment. Only by abandoning trade protectionism and developing free trade can it conform to the overall laws of world trade.

Original: toutiao.com/article/1854525517515779/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.