China: The Australian government said that China had lifted the import restriction on five Australian beef producers, marking the latest development in years of tense relations between Beijing and Canberra.
“China has lifted its suspension of five Australian meat processing establishments. This is welcome news for our producers and affirms the calm and consistent approach taken by the Albanese Labor government,” Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a statement.
In 2020, China imposed import restrictions on a variety of Australian goods, such as coal, wine, barley, and rock lobsters, in response to a request made by Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison for an international investigation into the cause of the COVID-19 epidemic.
Although Beijing maintained that the limitations were connected to trade-related matters like dumping, many in Australia saw the actions as a political retaliation against Canberra.
Following nearly ten years of conservative rule, many of the restrictions have been relaxed since Anthony Albanese, the leader of the center-left Labor Party, became prime minister in 2022.
According to Australian trade data, China ranked as Australia’s second-largest overseas market for beef last year, importing approximately $1.6 billion worth of the product.
Eight beef processing plants have had their restrictions removed, according to Wong, since the imports from three suppliers were resumed last year.
Suspensions still apply to two facilities, she added. According to Wong, there is currently a $1 billion decrease in Australian export barriers, as opposed to a $20.6 billion decrease in export barriers in the past.
The action follows the announcement in March by Chinese officials that tight import prohibitions on coal, lumber, and barley would be lifted, along with the removal of high duties on Australian wine.
Australian rock lobsters are among the final items that are governed by the unofficial trade prohibition. A request for comment was not immediately answered by China’s embassy in Canberra.
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