NEWS
CHINA FM: WINE DISPUTE WITH AUSTRALIA “RESOLVED”, FINAL RULING AT END OF MONTH
By Susan Lewis
20-3-2024
Source: Penny Wong Senator of SA/Facebook
Visiting Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi has given the most affirmative comment so far about the potential end of China’s wine dispute with Australia, he told Australian foreign minister Penny Wong that the issue has been "appropriately resolved" and China will announce the final ruling at the end of this month.
Wang attended the 7th China-Australia diplomatic and strategic dialogue with Wong in Canberra today, he said during the meeting that “the latest development is that wine, the case has been properly handled, and China will issue the final ruling at the end of this month."
"Through our joint efforts, China-Australia relations has thawed, and exchanges and cooperation in various fields have gradually resumed,” he added.
This is the first visit by a Chinese foreign minister and the most high level to Australia since 2017, the diplomatic and strategic dialogue Wang attended covered wide ranging bilateral issues including trade, diplomacy and defence.
Before attending the dialogue, Wang attended a meeting with Australian business leaders and defence experts, among them were Australia China Business Council president David Olsson, Rio Tinto iron ore chief executive Simon Trott and Australia National University professor Hugh White.
In a press conference after the dialogue, Wong said she welcome China's interim decision to lift export-prohibitive Chinese tariffs on Australian wine.
She also said she look forward to the easing of blocks on beef and lobster exports to China as well.
China has imposed punitive tariffs of up to 218 percent on Australian wines since 28 March 2021. The measures were supposed to last for five years.
Three years into the sanctions, Australian wine exports to China had shrunk from AUD1.2 billion to just AUD8.1 million in the first half of 2023.
(the writer can be contacted at: info@thewinechronicle.com)
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