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Opinion: China-Canada food safety pact could be a killer of a deal

China's regulations look good on paper but the absence of an independent judiciary means the rules are sometimes applied inconsistently

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In January, Canada’s Food Inspection Agency and China’s customs authority signed a memorandum of understanding to enhance co-operation on food safety and animal and plant health. Prime Minister Mark Carney framed it as part of a bilateral reset aiming for smoother trade. On paper, it establishes technical working groups, information-sharing and biennial meetings. In practice, it asks Canadian consumers and regulators to trust a food system with a well-documented history of repeated, sometimes lethal, failures.

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