Trade Minister Don Farrell wants more Chinese consumers buying Australian wine and beer, dairy products and premium meat, pressing the Chinese government to lift damaging trade tariffs to benefit both countries.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Ahead of meeting his counterpart trade minister on Friday afternoon, Senator Farrell toured the high-end April Gourmet supermarket in Beijing. The chain sells Australian products, including Leggos pasta sauce, Penfolds wine, Coopers beers and frozen steak.
April Gourmet has 17 branches in Beijing and works with Australian supplies including Coles and Bemco.
Later he will meet executives of state-owned enterprise China Oil and Foodstuff Corporation, the largest foodstuff and agriculture supplier in China. The company is also the largest Chinese importer of Australian wheat and oat.
Senator Farrell will use the talks to reiterate that Australia is a reliable supplier of safe and high quality agricultural products. Many Chinese consumers look for Australian brands already, but trade has been badly limited by the bilateral dispute.
READ MORE:
Senator Farrell noted Penfolds wine products in the store. The 2018 vintage was stockpiled by Chinese suppliers to get around the trade bans.
The talks with China's Commerce Minister, Wang Wentao, represent an opportunity to advance the pathway set down to remove tariffs on Australian barley and other goods, Senator Farrell said.
Officials are playing down the chance of a major breakthrough in the tensions between Canberra and Beijing this week, but the visit is considered a step in the right direction for the Australian side.
"The fact that they've invited me here, the fact that on a Friday afternoon, the minister is giving up his afternoon and evening to meet with me and to have some discussions, I think is very, very positive," Senator Farrell said.
"I think it augurs well for the future of our relationship with the China."
Friday's meeting is the 16th Joint Ministerial Economic Commission. This week is the first time since 2019 that an Australian trade minister has been invited to China.
Senator Farrell will invite Mr Wang to his family's winery in South Australia's Clare Valley, continuing a growing pattern of grapevine diplomacy. Already he has hosted the UK Trade Minister and the Ukrainian ambassador at the property. He presented business executives with wine from the property on Thursday.
Punishing tariffs have badly hurt wine, barley and other exports from Australia, part of a campaign of economic sanctions over anti-foreign interference efforts and pushback to the Huawei 5G ban and Australia's calls for an investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.
There is growing expectation Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will be invited to Beijing later this year, potentially to mark the 50th anniversary of Labor legend Gough Whitlam's landmark trip in 1973.
