16-3-2024 (SYDNEY) Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has stated that the lifting of Chinese tariffs on Australian wine exports will be a key topic of discussion when he meets with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Canberra next week. This anticipated dialogue comes as Beijing undertakes a review of the controversial tariffs imposed on Australian wine during a diplomatic rift in 2020.
In an interview aired by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation from Adelaide, the capital of the major wine-producing state of South Australia, Mr. Albanese expressed his eagerness to engage with the visiting Chinese diplomat. “We will host Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Canberra in the coming week, and I look forward to having further discussions with him,” the Prime Minister remarked.
Mr. Albanese voiced his expectation that China would reach a decision in the forthcoming weeks, potentially reopening the wine market, a move he described as “win-win” for both nations. “Dialogue leads to understanding and mutual benefit for our countries. Australia will gain from the economic activity that the removal of these impediments will bring,” he stated.
Earlier this month, Beijing acknowledged that its review of tariffs on Australian wine was progressing well, though it refrained from confirming the Australian government’s claim that the dispute would be resolved by the end of March.
China has been gradually dismantling the trade barriers it had erected from late 2020 on a range of Australian products and commodities, including barley, wine, coal, and lobsters. These restrictions were introduced amidst a broader spat over foreign investment and security concerns, which escalated when Australia called for an inquiry into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.
