Beijing, which set steep duties on canola, peas and pork, wants Canada and Mexico to resist U.S. pressure to raise tariffs on Chinese goods.

President Trump is locked in a tit-for-tat tariff war with Canada, Mexico, the European Union and China in a bid to remake the US economy for the long term – and some early winners and losers have already emerged.

China announced tariffs on Canadian agricultural and food products on Saturday in retaliation for October's decision to impose duties on Chinese-made electric vehicles, steel and aluminium. The Chinese commerce ministry said a 100 per cent tariff would be placed on Canadian rapeseed oil,