Australia proposes trade impediments affecting bilateral trade and exports
The Australian Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Murray Watt, met with China’s Vice Minister for Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Ma Youxiang.
A Joint Agricultural Commission (JAC) meeting between the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs was held in 2017. The follow-up meeting on 17 April involved formal discussions, where JAC sought to guide agricultural cooperation between our two countries.
Minister Watt welcomed the process of stabilizing bilateral relations, in particular progress towards restoring barley trade, and reaffirmed the commitment to advance the longstanding tradition of agriculture cooperation between China and Australia.
Australia has identified many areas of mutual interest with China, such as supporting sustainability in agriculture, enhancing food security by reducing food loss and farming innovation, smoothing trade flows, responding to climate change impacts on food production, and managing natural resources. The discussion further navigated through bilateral issues, including trade and consular matters.
Minister Watt reiterated that trade impediments affecting Australian exports should be removed. He also said that the resumption of normal trade in all products – particularly agricultural goods – is in both Australia’s and China’s interests.
