China lifts ban on Australian beef exporters
Make us a preferred source
Make us a preferred source on Google
The news: The Chinese government has removed a long running suspension on Australian abattoirs exporting beef to the country, federal agriculture minister Murray Watt has told the ABC.
The numbers: Watt said Beijing had lifted the suspensions on five major Australian beef exporters, with immediate effect. The meatworks, from Queensland and New South Wales, had been trading about $1 billion worth of beef when the sanctions began in 2020. Two Australian exporters still remain on the suspended list.
The context: The announcement comes ahead of Chinese Premier Li Qiang's visit to Australia next month, which will include high-level talks with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
China imposed wide-ranging trade sanctions on Australia in 2020 at the height of a diplomatic spat between the two countries, after former prime minister Scott Morrison called for an independent inquiry into the origin of COVID-19.
What they said: "That is fantastic news for the cattle producers, for the meat processing industry and for the workers in those industries," Watt said.
The source: ABC
