Australian Trade Minister Dan Tehan on Saturday threatened to bring the "
unwarranted
"
surcharge
imposed by China on imported Australian wines
to the World Trade Organization
.
In a final round of measures adopted amid heightened diplomatic tensions between Beijing and Canberra, as of Sunday, Australian wine imports will therefore be subject to compensatory surcharges of between 116.2% and 218.4%, Beijing announced on Friday. .
Read also: The Pacific trade duel continues, China taxes Australian wine
Minister Tehan said this made it “
almost impossible
” for Australian wines to compete in the Chinese market.
"
This measure adopted by the Chinese government is particularly disappointing and completely unjustified,
" he told reporters in Melbourne.
Dumping, of which China accuses Australia, is a practice of selling abroad at prices lower than those charged in the domestic market.
Wine exports to China in 2019 reached a record A $ 1.3 billion ($ 900 million), according to Australian government data, the largest market by value for this product.
Last year, Australia again asked the WTO to investigate Chinese taxes on barley imports, following a series of economic sanctions targeting Australian products in the vast Chinese market.
Diplomatic relations between the two countries have reached their lowest level since the bloody 1989 crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protest.
