SYDNEY: Australia delivered a withering denunciation of China's trade policies on Thursday Oct 21 accusing Beijing of undermining the World Trade Organization WTO and foot-dragging on promised economic reforms.
During a normally routine WTO review in Geneva, Canberra's representatives said China had benefited from 20 years of WTO membership but was not keeping its end of the bargain.
In an unusually blunt statement made public after the meeting, Canberra insisted a slew of sanctions on Australian goods were politically motivated and showed a growing gap between China's rhetoric and its actions In the last 18 months, China has imposed restrictions on a long list of Australian exports as political relations between the two countries have hit their lowest point in a generation.
China has increasingly tested global trade rules and norms by engaging in practices that are inconsistent with its WTO commitments, the Australian government said in a statement.
By undermining multilateral trade rules, China also undermines the agreed trading system on which all WTO members rely. Australian officials also revealed for the first time that the list - barley, coal, copper ores, cotton, hay, logs, rock lobsters, sugar, wine, beef, citrus fruit, grains and table grapes - now includes dairy products and infant formula.