Sydney | Reuters — Australia is expecting a positive decision over the next two weeks from China to fully settle a dispute over barley tariffs, Trade Minister Don Farrell said Thursday.
“We are expecting in the next couple of weeks a favourable decision on the tariffs that has prevented Australian barley going into China,” Farrell told ABC Radio.
Australia in April said it would suspend a case at the World Trade Organization over China’s anti-dumping duties on barley, while China said it would hasten a review into the tariffs.
China’s hefty anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties on the Australian product date back to 2020, during a period of souring relations between the two countries. Canada since then has been among the barley-exporting nations to see additional demand from the world’s top barley importer.
As diplomatic tensions ease between the two countries, Australia has been urging Beijing to lift trade curbs. Farrell said China, Australia’s biggest trading partner, has removed the ban on citrus and stone fruits imports.
— Reporting for Reuters by Renju Jose in Sydney.
