A Canadian shipbuilders group has issued a call for significant tariffs on Chinese-constructed ships at a time when the US is mulling whether to take a similar step.

The proposal by the Canadian Marine Industries and Shipbuilding Association (CMISA) comes after Ottawa decided to levy a 100% surtax on Chinese-made electric cars, following duties imposed by Washington and Brussels.

If the association is successful, it threatens to put shipbuilding at the centre of a trade war between China and North America’s two largest economies.