China-Australia relations: firms must ‘make own decisions’ whether to buy Australian coal, ambassador says
- Ambassador Xiao Qian says Australia-China relations had a ‘turnaround’ and a ‘very positive year’ following the election of Anthony Albanese’s government in 2022
- Australian and Chinese are also discussing whether Australia could drop complaints at the World Trade Organization (WTO) on Chinese tariffs on wine and barley
02:48
Chinese firms must decide whether to import coal ‘on their own’: China’s ambassador to Australia
Chinese companies must decide whether to resume imports of Australian coal, China’s ambassador to Australia said, continuing to deny any embargo on the country’s exports, even as he touted a recent thaw in ties.
Ambassador Xiao Qian told a news briefing on Tuesday in Canberra that there was “no such thing” as official sanctions on Australian exports.
Instead, Xiao said Chinese companies may have hesitated to maintain their existing trade relationships as ties between Beijing and Canberra deteriorated.
As we improve our relationship, as we develop our relationship, we’ll come back to a normal kind of relationship
“As we improve our relationship, as we develop our relationship, we’ll come back to a normal kind of relationship,” ambassador Xiao said at a rare press briefing in Canberra.
Australia is among several countries who have seen purchases of key products by the world’s second-largest economy dry up without any broad announcement or explanation from Beijing.
China’s imports of Australian coal, barley, seafood and other products slowed to a crawl after an April 2020 call by then-prime minister Scott Morrison for an international investigation into the origins of the coronavirus.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in 2021 that China was punishing Australia with economic restrictions, and warned the behaviour would not help improve relations between Beijing and Washington.
