Australia and China have resolved their dispute over barley imports, according to Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong. Wong announced on Tuesday that China had agreed to conduct a review into duties imposed on the grain. Meanwhile, Australia would suspend its case at the World Trade Organization during this period. The review will take three months, with the possibility of a fourth if needed.
“In return, we have agreed to temporarily suspend the WTO dispute for the agreed review period,” said Wong at a news conference.
Australia filed a formal complaint with the WTO last year over anti-dumping and countervailing duties imposed by China on Australian barley. The trade was one of several sources of friction between the two countries. Wong stated that the government expects a similar resolution in a second dispute over wine tariffs.
Relations between the two countries have been strained in recent years. However, they have improved since the center-left Labor party won power in Australia last year. Wong met with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing in December, marking the first such visit by an Australian minister since 2019.