A note purportedly being circulated by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce is asking the country’s seafood importers to cancel all orders from Australia.
The note, which has been widely circulated on WeChat, instructs importers not to tell their Australian trading partners that the direction to cancel their orders comes from government. SeafoodSource obtained a screenshot of the note from an Australian exporter and a Chinese importing firm, but an inquiry to the Commerce Ministry’s press office to confirm the note’s authenticity has not received a response.
The note references a meeting at the ministry in Beijing on 3 November and names seven products including red wine, lobsters, and iron ore, which will be “detained” in Chinese ports if they arrive after 6 November. If the Chinese government is behind the note, it is likely to add further sourness to the rapidly deteriorating Sino-Australian economic relationship. Australian media outlets have already reported this week that shipments of Australian lobsters are being delayed in airports in transit to China.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported Australian wine dealers have been warned their shipments will not clear customs after Friday, 6 November. The ABC reported Chinese authorities, including representatives of major ports at Ningbo and Guangzhou, said they had not received any new notice of changes, and the Commerce Ministry “denied the existence of any new directives targeting Australia.”
Australia, long a favorite destination for Chinese investors, students, and tourists, has faced the wrath of China's rulers after its government suggested earlier this year that the country's role in the origins of the coronavirus be further investigated.
Australia’s trade with China was valued at USD 108 billion (EUR 92.1 billion) in 2019, according to the United Nations, and the ABC estimated the value of commerce affected by the order at between AUD 5 billion and AUD 6 billion (USD 3.6 billion and USD 4.3 billion, EUR 3.1 billion and EUR 3.7 billion).
Photo courtesy of Andy333/Shutterstock
