Albanese welcomes China’s lifting of wine tariffs

The Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has welcomed the lifting of punitive tariffs on Australia’s wine exports by China.

Speaking at Pokolbin in the Hunter Valley wine region Albanese said the flow on of the Chinese change of heart would be enormous.

Albanese said: “Now, when the impediments to trade with China were put in place, the trade was worth in 2019, $1.1 billion every year.

“Now, we reckon that the resumption of trade, which we think is imminent, will see an even higher amount.”

In return for lifting the tariffs Australia agreed to abandon its action at the World Trade Organisation if the barriers were not lifted.

Albanese said other products that had hefty tariffs imposed by China for supposed dumping had similarly bounced back strong – products ranging from barley to coal.

Penalties on Australia’s $700 million lobster trade still remain in place. Albanese said: “There’s a couple more things to go, lobster, beef, and we’re continuing to work on that.

“But one of the things that the government has been doing is to work cooperatively to engage in our national interest.

Picture: visitnsw.com/Pokolbin