National Farmers Federation president to visit China in 2023

After more than three years in the freezer, Australian agriculture is set to re-engage with the powerhouse after an “encouraging” visit by the PM.

Australia’s farm lobby leader is set to visit China in the coming months as the economic powerhouse reopens to the world.

National Farmers Federation president Fiona Simson told The Weekly Times that she intended to visit China in 2023 after a frosty period between Beijing and Canberra which resulted in several commodities being effectively shut out.

Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong met with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi last month, marking five decades of diplomatic relations first fostered by Gough Whitlam in 1972.

National Farmers Federation president Fiona Simson.

The NFF president said while politician-to-politician talks had been productive, China’s business community were receptive to meeting with non-political leaders.

“It was very encouraging to see the Prime Minister (Anthony Albanese) meet with Xi Jinping a few months ago, and then the recent visit by Penny Wong as well,” Ms Simson said.

“But we also found that business-to-business meetings can be very productive and that’s something we want to pursue in 2023.

“I’ve been to China several times and absolutely, rebuilding those relationships takes time but is important for Australian agriculture.

“We’ve been a very balanced voice in the relationship between China and Australia. Dialogue is important – talk builds trust.”

Ms Wong’s visit was the first by an Australian cabinet minister since early 2020, when the Xi regime fell out with the Morrison Government over China’s lack of transparency on the Covid-19 pandemic as well as human rights concerns.

Beijing slapped punitive tariffs and other restrictions on a range of Australian exports including wine and barley as a result of the diplomatic rift.

Those restrictions largely remain in place, despite the change of government in Canberra last year as well as China’s recent change of approach to coronavirus restrictions.

“We have to continue the dialogue (with China),” Ms Simson said.

“We have to continue to get that relationship back on track.”

Victorian Farmers Federation president Emma Germano and United Dairyfarmers of Victoria president Mark Billing both said while China was an important trading partner, the past few years had highlighted the need for Australia to diversify its trading destinations.

“That’s a common view across Australian agriculture – we can’t put all our eggs in one basket the way we perhaps did with China (prior to 2020),” Ms Germano said.

“It’s an important trading partner and we’ve got to build bridges. But we also need to keep looking for opportunities in other markets – particularly in southeast Asia.”