China has dismissed Australia’s latest concerns over its treatment of Australian exports, saying it has always met its obligations under the two countries’ free trade agreement known as ChAFTA.
Key points:
- The Chinese embassy says it has been lowering import tariffs for Australian goods since 2015
- Trade Minister Simon Birmingham has again raised concerns about China’s attitude to Australian trade
- The Government says it is considering all dispute settlement options in relation to the ongoing stoush
In a statement, the embassy said the “so-called concerns about China’s adherence to ChAFTA are totally unfounded”.
On Wednesday, Trade Minister Simon Birmingham once again raised concerns about tariffs placed on Australian wine and barley exports, saying they were inconsistent with the “spirit” of ChAFTA and the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) rules.
“The Australian Government is considering all dispute settlement options in order to support our exporters,” he said, but has not yet taken the issue to the WTO.
The embassy said it “has actively fulfilled” its obligations under ChAFTA.
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In response, Senator Birmingham said China’s behaviour was making it a riskier option for Australian businesses.
“It’s still an individual business decision and some will continue no doubt and in many market sectors we do still have significant flows that have seen record-breaking levels of trade occur with China despite some of the difficulties,” he said.
“But for others the risk has clearly grown.”
On Wednesday night, Agriculture Minister David Littleproud told the ABC there was “mounting evidence” Beijing’s actions were not based on technical issues.
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