BEIJING, March 28 — China said today it would lift punitive tariffs on Australian wine, as trade ties improve between the two countries after years of tension, with Canberra soon afterwards announcing it would drop its case against Beijing at the World Trade Organisation.
Duties were imposed on key Australian exports such as wine, barley and beef in 2020 after Canberra legislated against overseas influence, barred Huawei from 5G contracts and called for a probe into the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic.
But trade restrictions have tapered since Australia’s centre-left government won election in 2022 and adopted a less confrontational approach.
“In view of changes in the market situation of the relevant wines in China, it is no longer necessary to impose anti-dumping duties and anti-subsidy duties on imports of the relevant wines originating in Australia,” the Chinese commerce ministry said in a statement, adding that the tariffs would be lifted tomorrow.
Tariffs and barriers have already been removed for commodities including Australian coal, timber and barley.
“Based on the proposal from the Ministry of Commerce, the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council has decided to terminate the imposition of anti-dumping duties on imported wine originating in Australia starting March 29, 2024; after the cessation of anti-dumping duties, no anti-subsidy duties will be levied,” the Chinese ministry said in its statement.
China and Australian foreign ministers this month met in a sign tensions between the countries were improving.
“The re-entry of Australian bottled wine into the Chinese market will benefit both Australian producers and Chinese consumers,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Trade minister Don Farrell said in a statement on Thursday.
“The removal of duties means that Australia will discontinue its legal proceedings at the World Trade Organisation,” the politicians said.
The statement added that Canberra would continue to lobby for the remaining trade restrictions to be lifted, which includes rock lobster and beef from some abattoirs.
Before the trade restrictions were imposed, China was the largest destination for Australian bottled wine, accounting for 33 per cent of export revenue in 2020, data from the Australian government shows.
The tariffs added up to 200 per cent to the cost of Australian wine shipped to China, and effectively halted trade worth US$1 billion (RM4.7 billion) a year.
Australian winemakers responded by turning to other Asian markets, including Hong Kong and Thailand.
While bilateral trade has made some recovery, the two countries remain at odds in strategic areas.
Last month, Australia said it had expressed its “outrage” after Beijing handed a suspended death sentence to Chinese-Australian dissident writer Yang Jun.
Overseas, Australia and its allies are seeking to parry China’s expanding reach in the South Pacific.
Canberra and Washington were jolted into action after Beijing signed a secretive security deal with Solomon Islands in 2022.
Australia also supports the United States and Asian countries in opposing Beijing’s sovereignty claims over the South China Sea. — AFP
