China lifts anti-dumping tariffs on Australian barley after three years, easing supply concerns

China connected Friday lifted tariffs connected Australian barley imports starting Aug. 5, a determination that points to improving bilateral relations and would alleviate proviso concerns aft Russia suspended a humanitarian corridor to present cardinal Ukrainian grains to planetary markets.

These anti-dumping tariffs and countervailing duties were imposed successful mid-2020 astatine the tallness of diplomatic tensions betwixt China and Australia. Beijing slapped import tariffs connected several Australian exports from vino and reddish nutrient to lobsters and timber. Besides this barley announcement, China besides resumed Australian ember imports successful January.

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce "has ruled that it is nary longer indispensable to proceed to enforce anti-dumping duties and countervailing duties connected imports of barley originating successful Australia successful presumption of changes successful the Chinese barley market," it said successful a statement Friday. No further details connected these changes were provided.

In April, Australia agreed to "temporarily suspend" its World Trade Organization ailment against China for its 2020 determination to enforce 80.5% duties connected Australian barley, paving the mode for Beijing to expediate its reappraisal of the tariff decision. These tariffs were slated to expire adjacent week.

"We invited this outcome, which paves the mode for our barley exporters to re-enter the Chinese marketplace – benefiting Australian producers and Chinese consumers," Australia's commercialized curate Don Farrell, overseas curate Penny Wong and agriculture curate Murray Watt said successful a associated statement. "The removal of these duties means that Australia volition present discontinue ineligible proceedings astatine the WTO."

Farrell, Wong and Watt said they expect a akin process for the removal of duties connected Australian wine. In March 2021, China introduced a crushing five-year tariff of up to 218% connected Australian wine.

Australia is 1 of the fewer developed nations connected Earth that exports much into China than it imports from China. Their bilateral narration deteriorated aft Australia supported a call for an planetary inquiry into China's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, which was archetypal reported successful the Chinese metropolis of Wuhan. 

The determination volition besides apt unfastened up different root of barley imports for China, which would easiness concerns astir nutrient terms ostentation emanating from Russia's withdrawal past period from a landmark statement known arsenic the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

Over the past year, the statement facilitated the transition of much than 1,000 ships carrying astir 33 cardinal metric tons of Ukrainian wheat, barley, maize and sunflower meal.

China, 1 of Moscow's closest strategical allies and the world's second-largest economy, was the indisputable apical recipient of Ukrainian cultivation products — including astir a 4th of outbound barley volume, according to information provided by the United Nations Thursday.

The United States and its Western allies are looking to China to assistance resoluteness the calamitous domino effect of Russia's exit from the important U.N.-backed agriculture deal.