Australia urges China to remove trade restrictions as barley tariffs are lifted

Australia demanded the removal of all trade restrictions, starting with wine, in response to China's decision to remove anti-dumping tariffs on its barley imports. 

China's Ministry of Commerce stated on Friday that anti-dumping and anti-subsidy import duties on Australian barley would end on Saturday, about three years after the initial 80.5% duties cut off what had previously been as much as A$1.5 billion ($986.25 million) in annual trade and forced Canberra to open a case at the World Trade Organization (WTO).

The barley ruling, which comes after the resumed trade in goods like coal and timber, sheds light on the few Australian products still prohibited by China, including wine, which is subject to tariffs, as well as unofficial bans on the export of lobster and meat from specific abattoirs.

Don Farrell, the minister of trade for Australia, stated on Friday that exports to China, which accounted for about A$20 billion in annual trade as of last May, now only account for about A$2 billion.

After Australia demanded an investigation into the origins of COVID-19, which led to retaliation by Beijing, including anti-dumping duties on Australian wine and barley, relations between the two major commodity trading partners deteriorated in 2020.

Since the center-left Labor Party took over as the country's government last year, tensions between Canberra and Beijing has decreased, and this year, China resumed buying coal and timber from Australia.

Although no date has been set, the barley decision also clears the way for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to possibly visit Beijing later this year.