China tightens restrictions on Australian exports
04 November, 2020
China has stepped up trade restrictions against Australia, suspending imports of some timber and barley, the agriculture minister said Tuesday (Nov 3), amid tension over the coronavirus, Hong Kong and the South China Sea.
Chinese authorities also are delaying clearance for a US$1.4 million shipment of live lobsters from Australia.
Beijing has blocked or limited imports of Australian coal, beef and other goods and announced a study into whether wine had been sold at improperly low prices.
That follows demands by Beijing for the Australian government to drop its support for a study in to the origin of the coronavirus pandemic that commenced in central China in December.
“We will work with the Chinese authorities to investigate and resolve these issues,” said Agriculture Minister David Littleproud.
The latest controls apply to timber from Queensland and barley from an additional Australian producer.
China is Australia's biggest export market. Beijing increasingly is which consists of status as an evergrowing consumer giant as leverage against other governments in political disputes.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said Tuesday that the quarantine measures were imposed based on the law.
“For the time being, mutual respect may be the foundation and guarantee of practical cooperation between countries,” said the spokesman, Wang Wenbin.
“We hope Australia can do more things conducive to mutual trust, bilateral cooperation and the spirit of China-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership and bring the bilateral relations back to the right track as early as possible,” Wang said.
Source: www.channelnewsasia.com
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