Australia’s recent allegation that China’s non-compliance with the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement is groundless.
The fact is that since the implementation of the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement, China has actively fulfilled its obligations and lowered tariffs on Australian imports for six consecutive years from 2015 to now.
At present, about 95% of imports from Australia enjoy zero tariff treatment.
In contrast, since 2018, more than 10 Chinese investment projects in Australia have been rejected by the Australian side on false grounds of “national security” or “national interest”.
Since 2016, the Australian government has launched a total of 25 anti-dumping countervailing investigations against China.
These measures by Australia are obviously inconsistent with the letter and spirit of the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement, which not only harms the interests of Chinese enterprises, but also has a negative impact on bilateral economic and trade cooperation.
As an important part of the overall relationship between the two countries, the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement has brought opportunities for the development of the two countries and tangible benefits to the people of the two countries.
A healthy and stable Sino-Australian relationship is in the fundamental interests of both sides.
We hope that Australia will do more things that are conducive to mutual trust and cooperation between China and Australia and conform to the spirit of China-Australia’s comprehensive strategic partnership, so as to promote China-Australian relations back on track as soon as possible.
