MyChina.caCanada-China trade glossary (English and Chinese)
Chinese terms are written as the Ministry of Commerce, the General Administration of Customs and the Ministry of Finance use them.
- Additional tariff 加征关税
- A tariff that China's Customs Tariff Commission adds on top of the applied rate for goods of a named origin, usually as a countermeasure. It is announced by product list and can be suspended or adjusted by a later announcement.
- Anti-discrimination investigation 反歧视调查
- An investigation under China's Foreign Trade Law into another country's discriminatory trade restrictions against China. China opened its first one against Canada's surtaxes in September 2024.
- Anti-dumping duty 反倾销税
- An extra duty charged on imports that an investigating authority finds are sold below their normal value and are injuring the domestic industry. It is set per exporter or per country and is paid on top of the ordinary tariff.
- Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law 反外国制裁法
- A 2021 Chinese law that allows countermeasures such as asset freezes, transaction bans and entry bans against persons and organizations involved in foreign sanctions against China.
- Approved Destination Status (ADS) 中国公民出境旅游目的地
- China's scheme that allows organized group tours to a listed country. China reinstated group travel to Canada in November 2025.
- Area Control List 地区管制清单
- Canada's list of countries to which every export needs a permit. China is not on it, so exports to China need a permit only when the item itself is controlled.
- Bonded zone 保税区
- A customs-supervised area where imported goods can be stored or processed without paying duty until they enter the domestic market.
- Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) 加拿大边境服务局
- Canada's customs authority. It assesses duties and taxes, administers anti-dumping and countervailing duties, and enforces import prohibitions.
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) 加拿大食品检验局
- The Canadian regulator for food safety and animal and plant health. It issues export certificates and maintains the lists of establishments eligible to ship to China.
- CARM (CBSA Assessment and Revenue Management) CARM（加拿大边境服务局评估与税收管理系统）
- The Canada Border Services Agency's system of record for importers. Importers register on the CARM Client Portal, post their own financial security and pay duties and taxes there.
- Certificate of origin 原产地证书
- A document stating the country of origin of goods, issued or certified by an authorized body. In China, customs and CCPIT issue them.
- China Compulsory Certification (CCC) 中国强制性产品认证（CCC认证）
- China's mandatory safety certification for listed product categories such as many electrical goods, toys and vehicle parts. Listed products cannot be imported or sold without the mark.
- China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) 国家知识产权局
- China's patent and trademark office.
- CIF (Cost, Insurance and Freight) CIF（成本、保险费加运费）
- An Incoterms rule for sea freight: the seller pays cost, insurance and freight to the named port of destination, but risk passes to the buyer once the goods are on board at origin. China assesses import duty on a CIF basis.
- CIFER (China Import Food Enterprises Registration) 进口食品境外生产企业注册管理系统
- The GACC online system in which overseas food manufacturers apply for and maintain the registration they need before their products can enter China.
- Controlled Goods Program 受控货物计划
- A Canadian domestic security program. Anyone who examines, possesses or transfers controlled military and strategic goods inside Canada must register and screen the people who have access.
- Countervailing duty 反补贴税
- An extra duty that offsets a subsidy which a foreign government gave to the producer or exporter of the imported goods, when those imports injure the domestic industry.
- CPTPP 全面与进步跨太平洋伙伴关系协定
- The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade agreement of which Canada is a member. China applied to join in 2021; accession requires the consensus of members.
- Critical minerals 关键矿产
- Minerals such as lithium, graphite, rare earths, gallium and germanium that are essential to batteries, electronics and defence. Canada scrutinizes foreign state-linked investment in them, and China licenses exports of several.
- Cross-border e-commerce (CBEC) 跨境电子商务
- A Chinese import channel for retail sales to consumers through approved platforms, with its own positive list, tax treatment and transaction limits.
- CUSMA non-market economy clause 《加美墨协定》非市场经济条款
- Article 32.10 of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement. A party that negotiates a free trade agreement with a non-market country must notify the others, who may then leave the agreement. It limits how far Canada can liberalize trade with China.
- Customs recordal of intellectual property 知识产权海关保护备案
- Registering a trademark, patent or copyright with GACC so that customs can detain suspected infringing goods at import or export.
- Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council 国务院关税税则委员会
- The Chinese body that sets and adjusts tariff rates, including additional tariffs on goods of a named origin. Its office sits in the Ministry of Finance, which publishes its announcements.
- Customs valuation 海关估价
- The method for setting the value on which duty is calculated, normally the price actually paid or payable for the goods when sold for export, with specified adjustments.
- De minimis threshold 免税限额（小额豁免）
- The value below which a shipment enters without duty and tax. Canada's higher thresholds apply only to shipments from the United States and Mexico under CUSMA, not to shipments from China.
- Defence Coordination Dialogue 防务协调对话
- A working-level channel between Canadian and Chinese defence officials agreed in 2013. It met four times to 2018 and again in September 2026. It is a communication channel, not a defence agreement.
- Dual-use items 两用物项
- Goods, software and technology that have civilian uses and can also serve military purposes or weapons of mass destruction. Both Canada and China require export licences for listed dual-use items.
- Economic and Financial Strategic Dialogue (EFSD) 中加经济财金战略对话
- A senior Canada-China dialogue on macroeconomic and financial cooperation, revived by the two governments in January 2026.
- End user and end use 最终用户和最终用途
- Who will finally use an exported item and for what. Export control authorities require statements on both and can refuse a licence if there is a risk of diversion.
- End-user certificate 最终用户证明
- A signed document from the buyer stating who will use the goods, for what, and that they will not be re-exported or diverted without approval.
- Export Control List (ECL) 出口管制清单
- Canada's list of goods and technology that need an export permit, arranged in groups such as dual-use, munitions and nuclear items.
- Final determination 最终裁定（终裁）
- The concluding finding of a trade remedy investigation. It fixes the definitive duty rate and its duration, usually five years.
- First-to-file 申请在先原则
- The rule that trademark rights in China generally go to whoever files first, not to whoever used the mark first. Foreign brands are advised to file before entering the market or sourcing there.
- FOB (Free On Board) FOB（船上交货）
- An Incoterms rule for sea freight: the seller delivers when the goods are on board the vessel at the named port of shipment, and risk passes to the buyer from that point.
- Forced labour import prohibition 强迫劳动产品进口禁令
- Canada's Customs Tariff prohibits importing goods mined, manufactured or produced wholly or in part by forced labour. A separate act requires larger companies to report each year on forced and child labour risks in their supply chains.
- Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (FIPA) 投资促进和保护协定
- A bilateral treaty that protects investors of each country in the other, including access to international arbitration. The Canada-China FIPA has been in force since October 2014.
- General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) 海关总署
- China's customs authority. It collects duties, enforces import and export controls and, since 2018, runs entry-exit inspection and quarantine, including registration of overseas food producers.
- HS code (tariff classification) 税则号列（HS编码）
- The number that classifies a product under the Harmonized System. The first six digits are international; Canada uses ten digits and China uses up to thirteen. Duties, quotas and trade remedy scope all depend on it.
- Import Control List 进口管制清单
- The list under Canada's Export and Import Permits Act of goods that need an import permit.
- Import permit 进口许可证
- Written authorization needed before controlled goods can enter. In Canada, Global Affairs Canada issues permits for goods on the Import Control List, including Chinese-origin electric vehicles since March 2026.
- Investment Canada Act 加拿大投资法
- The federal statute under which foreign investments are notified, reviewed for net benefit above set thresholds, and reviewed for national security at any size.
- Joint Economic and Trade Commission (JETC) 中加经贸联委会
- The standing Canada-China mechanism for trade issues and market access irritants. The January 2026 Roadmap raised it to a mechanism led by the trade ministers.
- Letter of credit (L/C) 信用证
- A bank's undertaking to pay the seller when documents that comply with the credit's terms are presented. Common in first transactions between Canadian and Chinese firms.
- Ministry of Commerce of China (MOFCOM) 商务部
- The Chinese ministry responsible for foreign trade policy, trade remedy investigations, export control licensing and foreign investment policy.
- Most-favoured-nation (MFN) tariff 最惠国税率
- The ordinary tariff a WTO member applies to goods from other members when no preferential agreement applies. Canada and China trade with each other at MFN rates because they have no free trade agreement.
- National security review 国家安全审查
- A government review of whether a foreign investment could harm national security. In Canada it can apply to an investment of any size under the Investment Canada Act and can end in conditions, a block or a divestiture order.
- Negative List (Special Administrative Measures for Foreign Investment Access) 外商投资准入特别管理措施（负面清单）
- China's list of sectors where foreign investment is prohibited or restricted. Sectors not on the list are open to foreign investors on the same terms as domestic ones.
- Net benefit review 净利益审查
- The Investment Canada Act review of large acquisitions of control of Canadian businesses, which must be shown to be of net benefit to Canada. Thresholds are revised every year.
- New strategic partnership 新型战略伙伴关系
- The framework named in the Canada-China joint statement of January 2026. Its pillars are energy, economic and trade cooperation, public safety and security, multilateralism, and culture and people-to-people ties. It is not a free trade agreement and contains no defence item.
- Phytosanitary certificate 植物检疫证书
- An official certificate from the exporting country's plant protection authority, in Canada the CFIA, stating that a plant product meets the importing country's plant health requirements.
- Preliminary determination 初步裁定（初裁）
- The first formal finding in a trade remedy investigation on dumping or subsidy, injury and causation. It can trigger provisional measures but is not the final result.
- Provisional deposit (provisional anti-dumping measure) 保证金（临时反倾销措施）
- Security that an importer lodges with China Customs after a preliminary determination, calculated at the preliminary dumping margin. It is refunded or converted into duty when the final determination is made.
- Rare earths 稀土
- A group of 17 metallic elements used in magnets, motors and electronics. China dominates processing and has required export licences for several medium and heavy rare earths since April 2025.
- Registration of overseas food manufacturers 进口食品境外生产企业注册
- China's requirement that foreign facilities producing food for the Chinese market be registered with GACC, either on the recommendation of the exporting country's authority or by self-application, depending on the product.
- Remission order 减免令
- A Canadian order that relieves named goods or importers from paying a surtax or duty, often for a fixed period and under conditions.
- Rules of origin 原产地规则
- The criteria that decide which country a product comes from for tariff and trade remedy purposes, for example where it was wholly obtained or last substantially transformed.
- Special Import Measures Act (SIMA) 特别进口措施法
- The Canadian statute on anti-dumping and countervailing duties. The CBSA investigates dumping and subsidy, and the Canadian International Trade Tribunal decides injury.
- State-owned enterprise (SOE) 国有企业
- An enterprise owned, controlled or influenced by a government. Canada applies lower review thresholds and closer scrutiny to SOE investors, especially in critical minerals.
- Sunset review (expiry review) 期终复审
- A review started before an anti-dumping or countervailing measure expires to decide whether ending it would lead to dumping and injury again. The measure stays in force during the review.
- Surtax 附加税
- In Canada, an extra customs duty imposed by order under the Customs Tariff on goods of a named origin, in addition to the ordinary rate. The China Surtax Order (2024) is an example.
- Tariff rate quota (TRQ) 关税配额
- A two-tier arrangement: imports up to a set volume pay a lower rate, and imports above it pay a higher rate or a surtax.
- Tax treaty (double taxation agreement) 避免双重征税协定
- An agreement that divides taxing rights between two countries and limits withholding tax on dividends, interest and royalties. Canada and China have had one in force since 1986.
- Trade Commissioner Service (TCS) 加拿大贸易专员服务处
- The Global Affairs Canada network that helps Canadian companies export, with offices in mainland China and Hong Kong.
- Unreliable Entity List 不可靠实体清单
- A Chinese list of foreign entities found to endanger China's sovereignty, security or development interests or to harm Chinese companies. Listed entities can be barred from trade with and investment in China.
- Visa-free entry 免签入境
- Permission to enter without a visa for a limited stay and listed purposes. China granted it to ordinary Canadian passport holders for stays of up to 30 days from February 2026, for a period that must be renewed to continue.
- Wholly foreign-owned enterprise (WFOE) 外商独资企业
- A company in China whose capital is held entirely by foreign investors. Since the Foreign Investment Law took effect it is organized under China's Company Law like a domestic company.
- WTO dispute settlement panel 世贸组织争端解决专家组
- A panel of experts set up to rule on a complaint that a WTO member has broken the rules. Canada and China each have panels established against the other's 2024 and 2025 measures, with composition suspended while they negotiate.