Australia–China trade war
The Australia–China trade war is an ongoing trade war between Australia and China. The exact date of when the trade war began is debated, however it is understood it began in either 2017 or 2018. Sanctions
2020 agricultural sanctions

In 2020, China gradually imposed several trade sanctions on Australia. A wide range of Australian Agricultural products were sanctioned, including barley, beef, cotton, lamb, lobsters, timber and wine, as well as coal. Official reasons ranged from dumping concerns to bark beetles found in timber, with China denying that the reason was related to Scott Morrison's call for an independent investigation into the origins of COVID-19. Agriculture tariffs and market shares are as follows. At the time, China was Australia's largest agricultural export market, representing 28% of the total. China represented 70% of cotton exports. Agriculture is one Australia's most trade-exposed economic sectors. The tariffs had a number of impacts on Australian agriculture. Although Australia found alternative markets for barley, such as Saudi Arabia and Mexico, one analyst estimated Australian farmers were losing $30-40 per tonne of barley, with Australian barley substantially cheaper than barley from France or Argentina. Southeast Asian countries like Singapore and South Korea, along with the UK, increased their imports of Australian wine, but the wine export market lost one third of its value, a loss which continued for years. Lobsters that previously sold in China for $250 were now selling domestically for $100, with countries like Thailand increasing its imports. In 2021, the Australian government requested that the World Trade Organization establish a panel to determine whether the tariffs were illegal. The panel was established in October. In April 2023 the Australian government agreed to temporarily suspend the WTO action, pending an expedited review of the tariffs by China, which China announced it would complete in three months, with a possible fourth if needed. In July 2023 the extra month was added to the review timeline. China ended its barley tariffs in August 2023. A statement from China's Ministry of Commerce said that "in view of the changes in the market situation of barley in China, it is no longer necessary to continue to impose anti-dumping duties and countervailing duties on the imported barley originating in Australia." The Australian government welcomed the decision, crediting the WTO for its role, and expressed hope that the wine tariffs could be resolved similarly. Triggers

2020
In early 2020, Prime Minister Scott Morrison endorsed an inquiry into the origins of COVID-19, which angered China. Following this, China started posing import tariffs on some Australian exports. According to analysts, these sanctions were a retaliation for the endorsement. Australia had also imposed anti-dumping tariffs on some Chinese exports. Zhao Lijian, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, tweeted a political cartoon of an Australian soldier holding a bloody knife to the throat of an Afghan child who is holding a lamb, in response to allegations of war crimes committed by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan. Australia urged China to apologise and for the tweet to be taken down. 2021
China continued to further sanction Australia in 2021. Another major trigger was the AUKUS agreement between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. In December, Australia joined the US-led diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, which were held in February 2022, due to human rights abuses in China. 2022
On 23 May 2022, the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) was formed by US President Joe Biden. The new alliance has 14 members; 13 founding members (Australia, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam) and one later entry (Fiji). It is believed that the alliance was formed in response to the security deal between China and the Solomon Islands, which was signed earlier that year. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi heavily criticised the new alliance. Leading up to the 2022 Australian federal election, China was accused of interfering with the election and with the goal of the Australian Labor Party winning the election and defeating the Liberal-National Coalition. Bans on Chinese products
In 2018, Australia banned Chinese telecommunications companies Huawei and ZTE. See also
 China–United States trade war

References

Trade wars
Australia–China relations