Sydney, January 31, 2010 (FBC) Australian and Chinese trade ministers will hold a virtual meeting next week, Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell said in an interview with ABC broadcaster on Tuesday.
The meeting between China’s Wang Wentao and Farrell will be the first in three years between trade and commerce ministers from both countries.
After years of strained relations, relations between the two countries are improving.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Chinese President Xi Jinping met at the G20 summit last November. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said it was a “step-by-step process” and Canberra urged Beijing to lift sanctions on Australian exports. Read more
Canberra has two complaints at the World Trade Organization against China’s tariffs on Australian wine and barley, and is waiting to see whether Beijing can lift official trade restrictions on other Australian exports, including lobster and meat.
In an interview with ABC’s 7.30 Report on Tuesday, Farrell said: “We want these trade barriers removed and I have arranged to speak with my Chinese counterpart next week, to start rolling the ball.
This month, more than two years after China imposed an official ban on coal, rock lobster and other commodities, several Chinese utilities received approval to begin importing Australian coal.
Reporting by Kirsty Needham and Lewis Jackson in Sydney; Editing by Alasdair Pal, Stephen Coates and Jerry Doyle
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