China urges Australia to take concerns seriously

The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Wednesday urged Australia to "take China's concerns seriously" after Australian Trade Minister Simon Birmingham said they will ask the World Trade Organization to intervene in their dispute over barley. China effectively ended imports of Australian barley in May by putting tariffs of more than 80% on the crop, accusing Australia of breaching WTO rules by subsidizing barley production and selling the grain in China at below production costs.

Birmingham said Australia would formally ask the WTO to intervene on Wednesday. At a news conference in Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin didn't respond to the matter directly but accused Australia of taking "discriminatory acts against Chinese enterprises." "We hope Australia will take China's concerns seriously and correct their wrongdoings with concrete actions," said Wang.

China is the Australian barley growers' largest market.The grain is among a growing number of commodities that China has targeted as bilateral relations plumb new depths.Trade in Australian seafood, wood, beef and wine has also been disrupted since Australia angered China by requesting an independent inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic.Australia is seeking clarification of recent Chinese state media reports that Australian coal imports have been banned. Birmingham said China had accumulated a series of decisions that look like sanctions against Australia.

(Image Credit: AP)