Seafood producers doubtful B.C. trade mission will lessen immediate toll of China's tariffs

British Columbia Premier David Eby will lead a trade mission to Japan, South Korea, and Malaysia next month amid U.S. and Chinese tariffs.

"Diversifying our markets away from these two gigantic markets and working with other markets is a priority for us and that's what we're going to continue to do," Eby said in an announcement on Wednesday.

However, seafood industry insiders say it won't do much to help B.C. seafood producers make up for the hit they've taken in the wake of tariffs imposed by China earlier this year.

China imposed 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian seafood  — including geoduck, lobster and shrimp — on March 20 in retaliation to Canada's tariffs on Chinese steel, aluminum, and electric vehicles.

Christina Burridge, executive director of the B.C. Seafood Alliance, says the province's seafood industry relies on exporting to China, and business relationships there will be hard to replace.

"It's not easy to see how we could replace China in less than five to 10 years," Burridge said.

"Most of our customers are not willing to pay the tariffs themselves, so they expect us on this side to pay them, or most of them at least."

Eby said the trade mission, which will take place from June 1 to 10, will look to expand investment and trade relationships in sectors affected by tariffs, including forestry, clean energy, liquefied natural gas, and agriculture.

China is the second largest market for B.C. seafood producers after the U.S., Burridge said, purchasing roughly $400 million of seafood from the province annually. 

For seafood producers to stay competitive, she says, they've had to pay the tariffs themselves instead of passing them on to customers, in some cases lowering prices to 50 per cent below pre-tariff value.

"At best, they're breaking even, they're not making any money," said Burridge, adding that these producers are having to choose between some business with China or no business with China.

"It's been quite difficult and some vessels have chosen to tie up."

B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad said that while he doesn't agree with the Chinese government, he does think Canada and B.C. need to have a working relationship with the world's second-largest economy.

"If we're being blocked by the largest economy, being the Americans, and we're ignoring the second-largest economy, that is very limiting for British Columbians to be able to grow our economy," he said.

Darrell Thomas, a Vancouver Island-based geoduck harvester, say he's frustrated that small businesses like his are paying the price for the trade war between China, Canada, and the United States.

Thomas is glad that B.C. is looking to diversify trade and build new business relationships, but he says that won't make up for the decades-long relationship between the province's seafood producers and buyers in China.

"Maybe it'll help us in five to 10 years, but they're not going to even come close to the consumption that China does," Thomas said. 

"We're caught in this massive crossfire."