China fires a further shot in the $6b trade war as Communist Party moves to ban ANOTHER Australian export - after blocking seven others including wine, sugar, lobster and coal
China is reportedly set to ban Australian wheat from the country as Beijing fires yet another shot in the escalating $6billion trade war.
All Chinese companies were informally instructed by the Communist Party to stop buying Australian barley, sugar, red wine, timber, coal, lobster and copper from Friday.
Chinese media reported on Tuesday that Beijing has also instructed state-owned and private traders to cease trading with Australian wheat exporters.
The South China Morning Post said Australian shipments would be turned away at the border if exporters tried to get their produce in through other countries.
Customs officers in China have banned mobile phones from meetings as any evidence could be subject to dispute at the World Trade Organisation.
China could soon ban wheat imports as its $6billion trade war with Australia continues to escalate
The apparent attempt to harm Australian exporters comes after Australia-China relations rapidly deteriorated following Scott Morrison's call for an inquiry into the origins of COVID-19. Pictured: President Xi Jinping
Australian beef and cotton were previously hit with Chinese trade strikes and there are fears copper could be dragged into the dispute.
Foreign Minister Marise Payne said Australian officials were working at home and abroad to resolve the various trade concerns.
'We are continuing to seek clarity from the Chinese authorities both here in Australia and in China,' she told reporters in Sydney on Wednesday.
'There has been a consistent denial of any targeting of Australian products and a commitment spoken of in relation to observation of trade rules.
'We would encourage Chinese authorities to act in accord with those rules.'
Asked whether China was exercising economic coercion, Senator Payne replied: 'We do have concerns of these issues.'
'We expect our trade with China to be undertaken consistent with WTO obligations.'
The various trade strikes and sanctions, which could halt $6billion in trade between China and Australia, coincide with deepening diplomatic tensions over coronavirus, Hong Kong and the South China Sea.
Australia's agriculture and trade ministers have been unable to contact their Chinese counterparts to discuss the trade headaches.
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman refused to say whether more Australian products would soon be blocked.
Wang Wenbin said Chinese authorities took inspection and quarantine measures on imports seriously, before pivoting to trust and respect.
China is holding up Australian lobsters at airports as trade tensions between the two nations escalate. Pictured: A worker packs rock lobster in Perth
Tonnes of live lobsters - which are unlikely to survive a delay of more than 48 hours - have been left on airport runways. Pictured: Lobsters being loaded at Perth Airport
'China believes a sound and stable China-Australia relationship serves the fundamental interests of the two peoples. In the meantime, mutual respect is the foundation and guarantee of practical cooperation between countries,' he said.
'We hope Australia can do more to enhance mutual trust and bilateral cooperation, as the China-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership calls for, and bring the bilateral relations back to the right track as early as possible.'
Agriculture Minister David Littleproud on Monday revealed about $2million worth of live Western Australian rock lobsters were seized by customs agents in Shanghai for extra checks.
The apparent attempt to harm Australian exporters comes after Australia-China relations rapidly deteriorated following Prime Minister Scott Morrison's call for an independent international inquiry into the origins of coronavirus in April, which was first identified in the Chinese city of Wuhan.
Since April, China has already slapped an 80 per cent tariff on Australian barley, suspended beef and cotton imports, and told students and tourists not to travel Down Under.
How China's feud with Australia has escalated
2019: Australian intelligence services conclude that China was responsible for a cyber-attack on Australia's parliament and three largest political parties in the run-up to a May election.
April 2020: Australian PM Scott Morrison begins canvassing his fellow world leaders for an inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic. Britain and France are initially reluctant but more than 100 countries eventually back an investigation.
April 15: Morrison is one of the few leaders to voice sympathy with Donald Trump's criticisms of the World Health Organization, which the US president accuses of bias towards China.
April 21: China's embassy accuses Australian foreign minister Peter Dutton of 'ignorance and bigotry' and 'parroting what those Americans have asserted' after he called for China to be more transparent about the outbreak.
April 23: Australia's agriculture minister David Littleproud calls for G20 nations to campaign against the 'wet markets' which are common in China and linked to the earliest coronavirus cases.
April 26: Chinese ambassador Cheng Jingye hints at a boycott of Australian wine and beef and says tourists and students might avoid Australia 'while it's not so friendly to China'. Canberra dismisses the threat and warns Beijing against 'economic coercion'.
May 11: China suspends beef imports from four of Australia's largest meat processors. These account for more than a third of Australia's $1.1billion beef exports to China.
May 18: The World Health Organization backs a partial investigation into the pandemic, but China says it is a 'joke' for Australia to claim credit. The same day, China imposes an 80 per cent tariff on Australian barley. Australia says it may challenge this at the WTO.
May 21: China announces new rules for iron ore imports which could allow Australian imports - usually worth $41billion per year - to be singled out for extra bureaucratic checks.
June 5: Beijing warns tourists against travelling to Australia, alleging racism and violence against the Chinese in connection with Covid-19.
June 9: China's Ministry of Education warns students to think carefully about studying in Australia, similarly citing alleged racist incidents.
June 19: Australia says it is under cyber-attack from a foreign state which government sources say is believed to be China. The attack has been targeting industry, schools, hospitals and government officials, Morrison says.
July 9: Australia suspends extradition treaty with Hong Kong and offers to extend the visas of 10,000 Hong Kongers who are already in Australia over China's national security law which effectively bans protest.
August 18: China launches 12-month anti-dumping investigation into wines imported from Australia in a major threat to the $6billion industry.
August 26: Prime Minster Scott Morrison announces he will legislate to stop states and territories signing deals with foreign powers that go against Australia's foreign policy. Analysts said it is aimed at China
October 13: Trade Minister Simon Birmingham says he's investigating reports that Chinese customs officials have informally told state-owned steelmakers and power plants to stop Aussie coal, leaving it in ships off-shore.
November 2: Agriculture Minister David Littleproud reveals China is holding up Aussie lobster imports by checking them for minerals.
November 3: Barley, sugar, red wine, logs, coal, lobster and copper will be banned from Friday.