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Agence France-Presse

Australia’s government is “disappointed” with China’s decision to impose new beef import tariffs, with one industry group warning the move could damage trade worth over A$1 billion (US$667 million) between the two countries.
China announced it would impose additional 55 per cent tariffs on some beef imports from countries including Brazil, Australia and the United States that exceed a certain quantity for the next three years.
The country also said it would suspend part of a free-trade agreement with Australia covering beef.
“We are disappointed by this decision,” Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell said in a statement.
“We have made it clear to China that Australian beef is not a risk to their beef sector, and that we expect our status as a valued free trade agreement partner to be respected.”
“Our beef is world-class and high in demand, and we will continue to advocate for and support our beef industry.”
China is Australia’s second most lucrative beef export market, behind the United States.

Under the new rules, Australia faces a quota of around 200,000 tons for 2026.
The tariffs follow China’s beef price trending downwards in recent years, with analysts blaming oversupply and a lack of demand as the world’s second largest economy has slowed.
At the same time, Chinese beef imports from countries such as Brazil, Argentina and Australia have surged.
Investigators found that beef imports had damaged China’s domestic industry, Beijing said.
The Australian Meat Industry Council said in a statement the new restrictions had the “potential to reduce Australian beef exports to China by about one-third compared to the last twelve months – trade worth over A$1 billion”.
The council’s executive officer Tim Ryan warned the tariffs would have a “severe impact” on trade flows to China and “restrict the ability for Chinese consumers to access safe and reliable Australian beef”.

The relationship between the two countries has improved in recent years with Beijing lifting a slew of bans on Australia’s most lucrative export commodities.
Tensions began in 2018 when Canberra excluded telecommunications giant Huawei from its 5G network on security grounds and later passed laws on foreign interference.
Then in 2020, Australia called for an international investigation into the origins of Covid-19 – an action China saw as politically motivated.
Australia has spent much of the past few years trying to insulate the vital trade relationship with China – its largest trade partner – from geopolitical headwinds.
Australia is part of a loose US-led alliance that has aggressively pushed back against China’s bid for influence in the Pacific region.


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Beef on display at a Beijing market in 2019. Photo: Reuters

People purchase beef at a supermarket in Fuzhou, Fujian, China in January 2024. China is starting 2026 with a three-year beef import quota to protect its struggling domestic industry. Photo: Getty Images

Cattle stand in a pen during sunrise in Eugowra, Australia. Canberra warns Beijing’s new beef tariffs could cost over US$667 million in trade. Photo: Reuters

Australia is losing its ability to engage Asia on its own terms

Chinatown in Melbourne, seen in 2020. Despite its strong trade and people-to-people links to Asia, reinforced by waves of migration, Australia’s Asia literacy has steadily declined. Photo: Shutterstock


Students chat in Sydney on December 5. In Australia, Year 12 enrolments in Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and Indonesian – the official languages of key trading partners – are at their lowest point in a decade. Photo: Kyodo

Members of the local Indian community listen to a speech by visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney on May 23, 2023. Australia’s Asia capability can be strengthened by integrating Asian-Australian communities and migrants more effectively into business, government and policymaking. Photo: AFP

China imposes beef-import quota, slaps over-quota tariffs to shield local industry

Handlers move cattle at a livestock market in Canuelas, Argentina, in October. China is kicking off 2026 with additional tariffs on beef imports exceeding specific quotas for major trading partners. Photo: AP

People shop for beef at a supermarket in Fuzhou, Fujian province. China is kicking off 2026 with additional tariffs on beef imports exceeding specific quotas for major trading partners. Photo: Getty Images

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Mexican Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard on Monday defended his country’s decision to impose new tariffs on imports from China. Photo: AP

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum says her government finalised the tariff measure to help promote domestic production and strengthen small businesses. Photo: EPA

Not all US farmers happy with Trump’s US$12 billion aid package: ‘a slap in the face’

A soybean farmer inspects his harvest at his family’s farm in Maryland in October. US farmers fear that the government’s new US$12 billion farm aid package will not provide enough funding. Photo: AFP

John Bartman, a soybean farmer, surveys his crop on his 900-acre farm in Illinois, the US. Photo: Handout

A combine harvests soybeans on a farm in Marion, Kentucky, in October. Photo: AFP

News

Asia

Australasia

Australia faces a 200,000-ton beef quota in China, its second-largest market, risking severe impact on US$667 million in annual trade, experts warn


Australia faces a 200,000-ton beef quota in China, its second-largest market, risking severe impact on US$667 million in annual trade, experts warn.


Trade

China trade

China

China-Australia relations

Australia ‘disappointed’ with China’s 55% beef tariffs, as US$667 million in trade at risk

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Australia faces a 200,000-ton beef quota in China, its second-largest market, risking severe impact on US$667 million in annual trade, experts warn

Australia faces a 200,000-ton beef quota in China, its second-largest market, risking severe impact on US$667 million in annual trade, experts warn