"Seoro Wensura Halttaen Eonjego" - Additional Lifting of Australia's Beef Import Ban

China has further lifted its ban on Australian beef imports. Following Australia's ban on Huawei and the investigation into the origins of COVID-19, China had imposed various regulatory measures targeting Australian agricultural and marine products, causing relations between the two countries to rapidly freeze. However, recently, the relationship has entered a thawing period.

The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Source=Getty Images Bank]

On the 29th (local time), according to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and others, Australian Agriculture Minister Murray Watt appeared before parliament and announced that China lifted the import ban on five large Australian slaughterhouses on the night of the 29th. Minister Watt said, "The efforts we have made to stabilize relations with China are bearing tangible fruit."

Previously, at the end of last year, China first lifted the import ban on three Australian slaughterhouses, and only two slaughterhouses remain subject to China's import restrictions.

This additional lifting by China came ahead of Chinese Premier Li Qiang's visit to Australia. Last year, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited Beijing, China, and in return, Premier Li is scheduled to visit Canberra, Australia, in mid-next month.

The relationship between the two countries, which had been almost hostile to each other, has recently improved rapidly. In 2018, Australia joined the U.S. in efforts to contain China by excluding Huawei from the 5G telecommunications network project, and in 2020, it called for an international investigation into the origins of COVID-19. In response, China imposed import bans on Australian beef and lobster in 2020 and levied very high tariffs on wine, barley, and coal, effectively blocking entry into the Chinese market.

Since then, in May 2022, a pro-China government took office in Australia, initiating a reconciliation mood between the two countries, and most of China's trade sanctions have been lifted to date.

The Australian government expects that the remaining import restrictions on beef and lobster from the two slaughterhouses will soon be lifted. WSJ reported that "(the cooled) China-Australia relations are steadily warming."