China has admitted it has suspended imports of Australian timber, saying harmful diseases and insects have been found on imported Australian logs. But observers point to the Chinese action as the latest development in a further deterioration of relations between Australia and China.
On Thursday (Nov. 12), China’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that China has temporarily halted imports of timber from the Australian state of Victoria in order to prevent the risk posed by tree insects, as previously stated by Chinese customs.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin denied at a regular press conference on Thursday that this was a political decision. Wang Wenbin said Chinese customs recently intercepted quarantine pests from logs coming from the Australian state of Victoria. He said: “In order to prevent the risk of plant disease at the source, and in accordance with relevant Chinese laws and regulations and international standards, China’s General Administration of Customs has decided to suspend the import of logs from Victoria, Australia, from Nov. 11, 2020.”
Previously, China had already stopped importing logs from Queensland, Australia. This time, it has stopped importing logs from Victoria again, and those watching the development of Australia-China relations point out that this is another escalation of China’s retaliatory actions against Australia.
China has threatened to retaliate against Australia ever since Australian Prime Minister Morrison issued a call to the international community in April this year for an independent international investigation into the source of the new crown virus. Over the past few months, Beijing has imposed sanctions on Australian exports of iron ore, barley, beef, seafood and wine to China, as well as warnings to Chinese citizens not to travel to Australia or study there. Now the widening of the log trade disruption between the two countries shows that China is also increasing pressure on Australia.
China has always denied that these moves against Australia are targeted retaliatory measures, but recently it has begun to be more forthright in its statements on the issue. At the press conference, after citing Australia’s unfriendly behaviour towards China, Wang Wenbin stressed that “the bell must be untied. The key to getting China-Australia relations out of the woods is for Australia to face up to the crux of the frustration”.
The Australian side refuted the Chinese customs claims. Victorian Agriculture Minister Jaclyn Symes said that the pest problem that the Chinese side said was not even a problem. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation quoted Symes as saying, “If bark beetles did exist, a moratorium on (log) trade would be a reasonable response. We want to make sure that the issues surrounding the quarantine are resolved as quickly as possible.”
However, Simes said: the Australian side has found no evidence of such a problem at this time.
The Victorian government has expressed support for the federal government to have an effective dialogue with Chinese authorities. The state’s log trade with China is worth $260 million a year.
Earlier it was reported that Chinese importers had alerted Australian exporters to the fact that Australian exports to China would be subject to more inspections by Chinese customs after November 6.
In the months to July this year, nearly 30 shipments of timber from Australia to China have been found to be infested by pests by Chinese customs, according to Australian wide reports. The Australian Forest Products Association (Australian Forest Products Association) said the organization is working with the relevant departments of China and Australia to solve the problem.
China is Australia’s largest trading partner and a major importer of timber from the country.
In the decade from 2008 to 2018, China’s total timber consumption increased by 173 per cent and its dependence on foreign trade exceeded 50 per cent, according to data released by China.
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