Foreign Minister Penny Wong will host her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi today amid hopes of a breakthrough on lingering high tariffs on beef, lobsters and wine.
Wong is expected to raise the tariffs and trade barriers imposed by China against Australian producers when the pair meet for the sixth time in Canberra.
China’s foreign minister will meet with business leaders on Thursday.
Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong will meet with her Chinese counterpart today.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
Beijing has signalled a willingness to lift punitive tariffs on Australian wine by the end of the month after an interim recommendation for its review into the measures found they should be scrapped.
But crippling impediments on Australian beef and lobster also remain in place.
It’s unlikely there will be a concrete announcement on either but a pathway to the removal of the tariffs could be outlined, even if only in private, China expert Ben Herscovitch said.
“My hunch is there will probably be an announcement on wine duty in the coming weeks,” he said.
“It’s a really significant, high-profile visit and both sides want something significant to come out of it.”
AAP
Source Agencies
