The Canadian Marine Industries and Shipbuilding Association (CMISA) is calling for urgent government action to address the strategic and ethical threats posed by Chinese-built ships.
The association highlights China’s shipbuilding industry, which operates under the Civil-Military Fusion doctrine, where commercial ship exports are subsidized to bolster the Chinese military. The same shipyards that produce commercial vessels for global markets also construct warships for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), contributing to its rapid and aggressive naval expansion.
This growing naval power increasingly challenges Canadian interests, including in the Arctic. CMISA argues that Canada has a capable shipbuilding industry and should prioritize building and maintaining its critical infrastructure domestically.
They urge the government to impose a 100% surtax on all Chinese-built ships imported into Canada and to prohibit any government entity or Crown corporation from acquiring or leasing vessels constructed in China.