AUSTRALIAN exporters fear Beijing will impose a 200 per cent anti-dumping duties on wine within a week or two, reports Hong Kong's South China Morning Post.
This would remove Australian wine brands out of the Chinese market as exporters are still reeling from the news this week of a possible outright ban on wine and other Australian products.
Swan Wine Group CEO Li Wei said all of his Chinese customers have stopped placing orders.
'We really didn't think it would get to this stage,' he said. 'The Australia-China relationship has reached a freezing point. We hope the Australian government can come up with some workable strategies to revive it.'
China's Ministry of Commerce launched an anti-dumping investigation into Australian wines in August at the request of the China Alcoholic Drinks Association (CADA) to review whether imported Australian wines were being sold below 'fair' prices and hurting China's wine industry.
Australian and Chinese media have reported that Chinese importers had been informally warned by Chinese customs officials that Australian wine, copper, barley, coal, sugar, timber and lobster will be targeted for increased inspections from Nov. 6.
Australian Trade Minister Simon Birmingham said Chinese official government statements had denied any coordinated effort was being taken against Australia, and he hoped Beijing 'is true to its word'.
'They deny any discriminatory actions that are being taken. But that doesn't seem to be what industry is seeing and hearing at present,' he said on radio station 5.
Mr Birmingham said the 'risk profile has changed dramatically' for Australian businesses exporting to China this year. 'The range and extent of concerns that industry are hearing is deeply troubling,' he said.
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This would remove Australian wine brands out of the Chinese market as exporters are still reeling from the news this week of a possible outright ban on wine and other Australian products.
Swan Wine Group CEO Li Wei said all of his Chinese customers have stopped placing orders.
'We really didn't think it would get to this stage,' he said. 'The Australia-China relationship has reached a freezing point. We hope the Australian government can come up with some workable strategies to revive it.'
China's Ministry of Commerce launched an anti-dumping investigation into Australian wines in August at the request of the China Alcoholic Drinks Association (CADA) to review whether imported Australian wines were being sold below 'fair' prices and hurting China's wine industry.
Australian and Chinese media have reported that Chinese importers had been informally warned by Chinese customs officials that Australian wine, copper, barley, coal, sugar, timber and lobster will be targeted for increased inspections from Nov. 6.
Australian Trade Minister Simon Birmingham said Chinese official government statements had denied any coordinated effort was being taken against Australia, and he hoped Beijing 'is true to its word'.
'They deny any discriminatory actions that are being taken. But that doesn't seem to be what industry is seeing and hearing at present,' he said on radio station 5.
Mr Birmingham said the 'risk profile has changed dramatically' for Australian businesses exporting to China this year. 'The range and extent of concerns that industry are hearing is deeply troubling,' he said.
SeaNews Turkey