Trade meeting aimed at easing China’s sanctions

Trade Minister Don Farrell will meet with his Chinese counterpart next week, as thawing relations raise hopes of a negotiated end to China’s punitive trade ban on Australian goods.

Trade Minister Don Farrell. Picture: Tom Huntley

Trade Minister Don Farrell will meet with his Chinese counterpart next week, as thawing relations raise hopes of a negotiated end to China’s punitive trade ban on Australian goods.

The first meeting between the two countries’ trade ministers in more than three years will be held virtually and pave the way for an in-person meeting in the near future.

Speaking about the meeting, which was first flagged by The Australian on January 20, Senator Farrell told the ABC that exporters of lobsters, wine, meat, barley, and coal had all been “very badly affected” by Chinese trade sanctions.

“It is my objective, as quickly as possible, to stabilise this relationship and get our products back in front of the Chinese consumers,” he said, noting that $20bn worth of trade had been affected. “These problems are not going to be solved overnight and all of the problems are not going to be solved straight away. But we need to start the process.

“We want to stabilise that relationship. And in doing that, we want to ensure that we continue to protect our national interests and our national security.

“We want these trade impediments removed, and next week I have organised to speak with my Chinese counterpart virtually to start the ball rolling.”

There has a thawing in the frosty relationship with Beijing. Foreign Minister Penny Wong visited China in December, and Anthony Albanese met with President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit in November.

Chinese ambassador Xiao Qian said the two countries’ trade officials had discussed Australia dropping its complaint to the World Trade Organisation challenging China’s punitive tariffs on Australian goods.