China is ignoring Australia's request to discuss its decision to suspend beef imports from four abattoirs as Chinese media warns the move should serve as a 'wake-up' call for Australia.
China is ignoring Australia's request to discuss its decision to suspend beef imports from four abattoirs as Chinese media warns the move should serve as a"wake-up" call for Australia.
"I have asked for a discussion with my counterpart, that hasn't happened as yet but we will keep those lines of communication open."Ties between the countries have been strained after Prime Minister Scott Morrison launched a global push for an inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic. But China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian on Tuesday night denied the moves were linked to frustration over Australia's support for an investigation into the coronavirus.
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China maintains barley tariff is retaliation to Australian steel duties | Sky News AustraliaChina’s threat of an 80 per cent tariff on Australian barley could be in retaliation to similar levies Australia has placed on Chinese steel with China’s foreign ministry denying the move is politically driven.\n\nThe Financial Review is reporting the action is “less about market local market conditions and more about Beijing punishing Australia for levying duties of between 15 and 102 per cent on Chinese makers of steel and aluminium”.\n\nOn Monday, China gave Australia an ultimatum, threatening tariffs up to 80 per cent on grain if the federal government does not respond to allegations of 'barley dumping' in 10 days, in an escalation of trade tensions between the two sovereign nations.\n\nThe prime minister said a Chinese government review into the alleged ‘dumping’ of Australian barley into the Chinese market has been “going on for 18 months” and refused to link the threat with Australia’s call for an independent inquiry into the coronavirus outbreak.\n\nSky News contributor Scott Emerson there are “a lot of beer manufacturers in China that are very concerned about the ‘barley ban’”.\n\n
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Trade tensions escalate as China delists Australian abattoirs | Sky News AustraliaTrade tensions with China are ramping up, with Beijing reportedly delisting four Australian abattoirs. \n\nThe regime imposed an import ban on four Australian abattoirs including three in Queensland and one in New South Wales - accounting for about 35 per cent of beef exports to China. \n\nThe move comes days after China threatened to impose significant tariffs on Australian barley. \n\nThe trade block is believed to be in retaliation to Australia’s push for an independent investigation into the origin of the coronavirus outbreak. \n\nMeanwhile, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg is set to lay down Australia’s financial road back from the coronavirus crisis in parliament today. \n\nImage: Getty
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Diplomatic row between Australia and China 'unfortunate' | Sky News AustraliaDeputy Labor leader Richard Marles says the ongoing 'diplomatic row' between the Communist Party of China and Australia has been unfortunate and reiterated the importance of our 'very complicated relationship' with the regime. \n\nMr Marles told Sky News 'it is a really important matter for China and it's a very important matter for the world' in determining exactly how 'the coronavirus ultimately originated'. \n\nHowever, Mr Marles said, 'it does matter that the relationship (between Australia and China) is on the best footing that it can possible be on'. \n\nHe discussed the latest trade tensions between the two nations, in which Beijing threatened to impose massive tariffs on Australia's barley exports to the country. \n\n'Well certainly, if that were to transpire it would be a very poor outcome in terms of Australia's exports to China'.\n\n'Really, it is a matter for the government to make sure that it manages this issue and it does so in the context of properly managing the relationship with China.\n\n'This is a very complicated relationship but one which requires a lot of thought and a sense of purpose about where we're going and what we see from the relationship.' \n\nImage: Getty
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Australia 'caught in US-China crossfire' and 'there will be serious economic implications' | Sky News AustraliaThe Switzer Report founder Peter Switzer says now is the worst time to be caught up in escalating trade tensions with China. \n\n“Once the economy’s back on its feet, that’s when it’s time to get stuck into China, but at the moment we’re vulnerable,” he said. \n\n“Obviously there’s a simmering, potential trade war and it really didn’t start with us, but we’re being caught in the crossfire because we ganged up and supported Trump in asking for an objective inquiry into China’s behavior in relation to the virus. \n\n“Clearly China’s cheesed off in the fact that we’re supporting Donald Trump and there will be serious economic implications.' \n\nMr Switzer told Sky News “this is not the time” because Australia was staring down the possibility of a great depression, which he said the government was so far managing to avoid through stimulus measures. \n
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Australia must become more ‘self-reliant, not China reliant’ | Sky News AustraliaPoliticians should put partisanship aside and use the COVID-19 crisis to ensure our economy is more self-reliant, including “resuscitating” the manufacturing industry, according to author and former Hawke government staffer Kerry-Anne Walsh.\n\nThe economy has been battered by the COVID crisis, with Treasurer Josh Frydenberg preparing to oversee the two biggest budget deficits in Australia’s history.\n\nThe economic turmoil has been exacerbated by tensions with China, with Beijing threatening to slap an 80 per cent tariff on grain if the federal government does not respond to allegations of 'barley dumping' in 10 days.\n\nMs Walsh told Sky News said this crisis should prompt Australians to “re-evaluate” what is in the nation’s best interest.\n\n“We have a global re-alignment, we need to develop a whole new range of industries ourselves,” she said.\n\n'We need to be more self-reliant, less China reliant.\n\n“These are extraordinary times that are going to unfold over the next five years, why shouldn’t this be a time to re-evaluate where we are as a country and a people.”\n
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Australia must be 'careful' to avoid alienating China | Sky News AustraliaLiberal Senator Gerard Rennick says “sound diplomacy” should be used at all times in dealing with other countries and it is time Australia began to engage “with China in a constructive way”. \n\nBeijing has reportedly delisted four Australian abattoirs just days after threatening to impose significant tariffs on Australian barley. \n\nMr Rennick told Sky News he was mindful of former US President Ronald Reagan’s declaration that “people don’t start wars, governments do”. \n\n“I think we need tobe very careful as members of the government that we don’t run commentary on this sort of stuff in the media,” he said. \n\n“We just need to take a look at the bigger picture here because right now our hard working farmers and barley producers and meat abattoirs and that, we don’t want them losing jobs so I think we just need to engage as constructively as we can to work through whatever issues we may have.” \n\nChina's trade block is believed to be in retaliation to Australia’s push for an independent investigation into the origins of the coronavirus. \n\n“I don’t think we should roll over on a coronavirus inquiry but I think that inquiry should deal with coronavirus and not just about China,” Mr Renick said.\n\n“There’s a range of issues we have to deal with here and it’s not a question of a win, lose situation, we should be trying to find a win, win way through all of this.” \n\nImage: Getty
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