Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Simon Birmingham has revealed Australia and the United Kingdom are “very close” to finalising a free trade agreement which will be in the nation’s best interests.
“We are very, very close to an in principle agreement around the terms of a free trade agreement between Australia and the United Kingdom being settled,” he told Sky News.
“We’ve always been clear that we’ll only do a deal if it’s in Australia’s national interest and that is what we are driving towards in these closing few days and hours of negotiations around the in principle terms of the agreement.”
Minister Birmingham hailed Australian farmers as world leaders in technological innovation in the farming sector and says Britons can expect the introduction of premium Australian goods into the UK market.
“For Australian farmers, they are some of the world’s best in terms of their practices, their environmental stewardship, their care of animals,” he
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Canberra to challenge China at WTO over barley
Bloomberg
Australia yesterday said it would challenge China at the WTO over Beijing’s decision to impose hefty tariffs on its barley exports, a further sign of deteriorating relations between the two key trading partners.
Australian Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Simon Birmingham said the government had advised counterparts in Beijing of its intention “to request formal consultations with China.”
The dispute process could take years to be resolved, but the organization should recognize that the tariffs are “not underpinned by facts and evidence,” he said.
A field of barley in Moree in New South Wales, Australia, is pictured on Oct. 27.
Chinese coal import ban breach of WTO rules, Canberra says
Bloomberg
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison yesterday said that a Chinese ban on Australian coal imports would breach WTO rules, as his government urged Beijing to resume dialogue to ease a worsening diplomatic dispute.
More than 50 vessels carrying Australian coal have been stranded off China after ports were in October verbally told not to offload such shipments.
The Chinese National Development and Reform Commission on Saturday appeared to formalize the curbs after giving power plants approval to import coal without restrictions, except from Australia, under efforts to tame price rises, the Global Times reported.
China adds anti-subsidy duties on Australian wine
Bloomberg
China is to start collecting extra duties on Australian wine today, further ratcheting up tensions with Canberra and handing another blow to an industry already hit by tariffs last month.
The temporary anti-subsidy duties are to be charged on wine imports starting today, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said in a statement yesterday. That comes on top of temporary anti-dumping tariffs imposed last month.
The decision is the latest in a series of actions against Australian exports, which the government in Canberra has called “economic coercion” as the relationship between the two nations sours.