China Reportedly Considering Further Restrictions on Australian Imports
China is considering additional import restrictions on Australian goods that would target Australia’s wine and dairy sector, according to a May 20 Bloomberg report. China recently placed restrictions on imports of Australian barley (see 2005180016) and beef (see 2005130013), but officials have composed a list of additional Australian goods they may target, which may also include seafood, oatmeal and fruit. Those products could become subject to stricter quality checks, antidumping investigations, tariffs or customs delays, the report said.
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The report comes as Australia calls for an investigation into the origin of the novel coronavirus that causes the disease COVID-19, a move that has been met with pushback from China’s Foreign Ministry. During a May 20 press conference, a ministry spokesperson declined to confirm the report but suggested that Australia has not acted with “mutual respect” toward china. “We hope Australia will work with us to create favorable conditions for practical cooperation with actions that are conducive to bilateral relations and mutual trust,” the spokesperson said, according to a release in English from the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C.