Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell has urged Brussels to show patience in its dealings with China, saying Europe should hold its nerve as it seeks to stabilise turbulent trade relations, reported Brussels Euronews.

Mr Farrell told Euronews's Europe Today programme that patience was a good starting point with Beijing. He stated that Australia, as a middle power, had focused on projecting policies for a peaceful region, which had helped maintain uninterrupted trade ties despite global tensions.

His comments come as the EU grapples with its position on China and the US. The bloc recorded a record-high EUR359.9 billion (US$414 billion) trade deficit with Beijing in 2025, with officials stressing a strategy to 'de-risk, not decouple.' However, fears of a trade war remain.

Mr Farrell recalled Australia's bitter trade dispute with China from 2020 to 2022 after then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison called for a Covid origins inquiry. Beijing retaliated with tariffs and bans on exports worth EUR11.7 billion.

Current Prime Minister Anthony Albanese later shifted the tone, and by 2024, all Chinese import duties were lifted. Farrell noted that this allowed Australia to secure trade deals with the UK, India, the UAE, and, after years of deadlock, the EU.

He remarked that the hardest agreement was with Europe, signed in Sydney earlier this year. Mr Farrell added that recent trade activity has been driven by US President Donald Trump's tariffs, including 10-12.5 percent levies on imports from 60 countries, among them the EU and Australia.