Oz wine exports to China under threat
As the result of an escalation of tensions between Beijing and Canberra, Australian wine exporters are caught up in a raft of products that China has said it will ban for import from Friday 6 November.
Wine has been included with other Australian exports such as coal, timber and even lobsters in a war of words that increasingly looks like action, with 30% of the country’s total exports affected as Chinese state media and customs warn of restrictions being imposed on goods and reports of blocked imports – including wine – now emerging.
China has risen to be Australia’s number one export territory for wine, worth AUD$1.2bn annually, and disruption on such a scale to a heavily export-reliant industry will come as a severe blow to producers already suffering from the effects of the pandemic.
The Melbourne-based The Age newspaper reported today that Australian exporters are “angry” with their government for its handling of the situation, having repeatedly come to blows with China over a host of issues such as the handling of Hong Kong and lack of transparency over the coronavirus.
China Daily, a mouthpiece for Beijing, added fuel to the fire, running an editorial that said Australia “would suffer further pain”, adding to the alarm for the wine industry.
Search
56-58 Church Walk, Burgess Hill, West Sussex, RH15 9AN
Registered in England No. 6646125. VAT No. 938 4452 95
