By Elishya Perera
SYDNEY, Australia (CWBN)_China imposed fresh import duties on Australian wine on Thursday (Dec 10), amidst mounting tensions between the trade partners.
The new anti-subsidy tariffs of 6.3 to 6.4 per cent will come into effect on Friday, and will be added to the anti-dumping levies of 107 to 212 per cent, which were imposed last month.
The Commerce Ministry in Beijing said the move was in response to the findings of the anti-dumping probe launched into Australian wine imports in August. The Ministry claims that the Australian government’s subsidy benefits give winemakers in Canberra an advantage over Chinese firms.
However, Australia suspects other motives, since tensions between the two countries began to spiral this year, following Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s call for investigations into the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic, which emerged from Wuhan.
Moreover, the ban on Huawei’s participation in Australia’s 5G wireless network and the Australian Government’s outspokenness about human rights issues in China also appear to have contributed to the escalating diplomatic row.
A week ago, the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) launched a global campaign urging people to buy Australian wine in response to the tariffs imposed last month, which could make business unviable for the $3 billion wine industry that sends 40 percent of its exports to Beijing. Accordingly, the new tariffs are expected to add fuel to the growing dispute.
Apart from wine, China imposed duties on several other imports from Australia, including beef, lobster, barley, timber and coal, in the recent months.
