Australia says China's wine tariffs could end early next year

Sydney: The crippling tariffs that China's government imposed on Australian wine exports almost three years ago could be lifted shortly, Australia's Trade Minister Don Farrell said on Sunday.

China started reviewing the sanctions in late November and that process was "well and truly underway," Farrell said in an interview with Sky News.

"I would be very confident that early in the new year we will get a favourable result from the Chinese authorities to lift the ban on Australian wine," the minister said. "That will be very important for Australian winemakers."


Farrell also expects taxes on lobster to be removed in "the near future" after raising that issue with his Chinese counterpart five times, he said. That meant it wasn't an "unreasonable prediction" to expect that all of China's remaining tariffs on Australian exports would be removed next year, he said.

The review on wine tariffs was originally estimated to end before Nov. 30, 2024, according to a statement from the Chinese Commerce Ministry.