b'WE OPEN OUR WALLETS TO CHINA ALL THE TIME. SO WHY ARE WE SO CONFLICTED ABOUT TRADING WITH THEM?A recent Ipsos poll finds eight in 10 Canadians believe Canada should reduce its reliance on trade with China. One expert says doing so is extremely impractical, if not impossible.Marc ZienkiewiczAS CHINA RAMPSup its seed industry,Canadian consumers and businessesexporter than is Canada. Its the larg-eyes are on Canadas trade relation- have been doing this while Chinaest producer of a lot of what we also ship with the agricultural giant. Butwas holding Canadians hostage. Ifproduce here in Western Canada. how can we establish better relationsthe reality is that citizens, consumersChina moves markets, Dade says.with China in light of its continu- and businesses are going to increaseEven if you run away from China, ing ban on Canadian canola seedtrade with China, then we had betteryoure still going to be running into imports? And should we? manage it well. China.The key, says Carlo Dade (whoDade has done some of the deep- What then, is Canada to do? The follows Canada-China trade for theest research in Canada on the agri- answer, Dade says, is to accept the Canada West Foundation), is forcultural trade relationships betweenreality that Canadas trade relationship Canada to figure out what it wantsCanada and China. He is co-author ofwith China is an important one, and out of its relationship with China the report When interests converge:to begin to find a common interest.snd then go after it despite what ourAgriculture as a basis of re-engage- We know that China needs new American neighbours might say. ment with China. It focuses on theseed varieties to increase agricul-We have to separate the aspira- potential of agriculture and the needtural production without destroying tional elements of what people wantto place it front-and-centre now inmore land and without using more out of trade from the reality of trade.anticipation of future change in thefertilizer. They have to feed their Certainly, with agriculture, China isCanada-U.S. relationship. population. If you want to talk about our second-largest agricultural market.A recent Ipsos poll for Globala country preoccupied with food Its roughly 13% of our agriculturalNews finds that eight in 10 Canadianssecurity, thats China, he says.trade and has been increasing at a(82%) believe Canada should reduceBut you also have to look at the faster rate, says Dade. its reliance on trade with China andenvironmental damage from agricul-Canadians tell pollsters that theydiversify to other countries. Dadeture, and Chinas contending with want less trade with China, yet insays doing so is extremely impracti- that. So certainly, something like the next instant they turn aroundcal, if not impossible. seed varieties can help. Its been and open their wallets to China,People forget that China is aidentified by China in their five-year telling them they want more trade.larger agricultural producer andAgricultural Green Development Plan. 14GERMINATION.CAJANUARY 2022'