Australia's trade minister on Wednesday called for "greater clarity" from China over reports an embargo could hit a slew of industries by the end of the week and further escalate tensions.

Simon Birmingham said he had raised concerns with Chinese officials over several trade issues including increased testing of live rock lobsters that "came out of the blue".

"There are lots of different rumours and stories at present and it is hard to quite define and discern which things are true, which things are inflated," he told Sydney radio station 2GB.

Although China's Ministry of Commerce had publicly denied the reports of a trade ban, more certainty was needed for Australian exporters, he added.

Australian winemakers were also bracing for possible tariffs -- which would signal a spike in tensions that have already impacted beef, barley and coal exports.

China -- Australia's biggest trade partner -- has threatened economic blowback on a range of Australian goods since Canberra called for an inquiry into the Covid-19 pandemic.

Beijing has already launched a litany of measures this year -- including probes into alleged dumping of Australian wines, suspending beef imports, and issuing warnings to its citizens against travelling to Australia.

Treasury Wine Estates -- producer of Penfolds -- said in a statement that the China Alcoholic Drinks Association had called on the Chinese government to impose retrospective tariffs on some Australian wine.

"The request is associated with the ongoing anti-dumping investigation," the winemaker said.

Treasury Wine said it was unclear whether the request would be accepted by the Chinese government or if tariffs would be applied retrospectively.

The winemaker also said it was aware of the "reports and speculation" around a larger embargo but had not received any notification from Chinese authorities at this stage.

al/qan

TREASURY WINE ESTATES

Related Links
Global Trade News

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

German court okays tunnel to Denmark under Baltic Sea
Frankfurt Am Main (AFP) Nov 3, 2020
A top German court on Tuesday approved the construction of the world's longest combined rail and road tunnel that is expected to slash journey times from northern Germany to Denmark. The 18-kilometre (11.2 mile) submerged Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link is due to open in 2029 but has been beset by legal battles from conservationists and ferry companies. German regulatory approval is "a historic milestone", said the project's chief executive Claus Baunkjaer. The tunnel will be one of Europe's largest ... read more