Beijing Failing to Progress Trade Agreements, Australia Says

Despite Canberra working hard to build a stronger relationship with Beijing, there remain significant trade barriers to Australian goods.

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) speaks with Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong (R) during the 14th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting at the 57th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane on July 27, 2024. Achmad Ibrahim/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong has urged her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi to ensure his country will “play a productive role on the international stage” by continuing to reduce tariff barriers against imports of Australian goods.

Despite trade tariffs against wine, barley, meat, and other products having fallen, Senator Wong said there remain points of contention, which she raised with Wang at a bilateral meeting in New York on Sept. 25. There, she pressed him to drop the remaining barriers against Australian rock lobster imports.