Australia’s appeal to the WTO over China’s anti-dumping sanctions on Australian wine drew a strong backlash on Sunday from Chinese business representatives and experts, who said that Australia’s groundless complaints will only exacerbate tensions between the two countries. Meanwhile, Chinese wine traders are accelerating their search for new alternatives to Australian wine to fend off future risks of uncertainty in trade tensions, as Canberra continues on a hostile path toward Beijing.
The Australian government filed a complaint on Saturday to the WTO over China’s decision to impose import tariffs of up to 220 percent on Australian wine, according to media reports. It was the second time in six months that Australia field complaints against China with the international trade organization, after Australia’s first appeal on China’s imposition of tariffs on its barley imports last year.
Australian Trade Minister Dan Tehan claimed that Australia would vigorously defend the interests of the wine industry, which is accused of anti-competitive behavior by China, Australian Broadcasting Corp reported on Saturday.
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