China slams 'unacceptable' Australian antidumping moves
China slams 'unacceptable' Australian antidumping moves
Agence France Presse, Sydney
China warned Australia on Wednesday that restricting cheap imports with tightened anti-dumping legislation may hamper the burgeoning trade relationship between the two countries.
The Chinese embassy confirmed it had told the Australian government that moves to clamp down on bargain basement imports were harsh and "unacceptable to the Chinese side".
The warning, using uncharacteristically strong language, will sound alarm bells in Canberra because China is currently Australia's third largest trading partner and widely regarded as its most promising market.
Beijing protested at not being consulted over the changes, which would give Australian customs officers more scope to determine if the price of goods from "economies in transition", such as China, had been artificially altered by the exporting government.
"Obviously this is inconsistent with the transparency principle of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and may have adverse impact on the further development of Sino-Australian trade," Chinese Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation Shi Guangsheng said in a letter to Australian Trade Minister Mark Vaile and Customs Minister Chris Ellison.
Shi said bilateral trade grew 16 percent last year to US$10.44 billion, including a $1.26 billion deficit for Australia.
He also pointed out the Chinese government had helped Australia land a record-breaking $15 billion gas supply contract in Guangdong last year.
Opposition trade spokesman Craig Emerson accused the government of neglecting Australia's trade relationship with China in its rush to sign a free trade agreement with the United States.
"Australia's trade relations with East Asia have hit a new low with the government's arrogant handling of changes to Australia's trade rules regarding China," he said.
"This compounds the damage already done to Australia's relations with Asia through Prime Minister John Howard's portrayal of Australia as a deputy sheriff to the United States in the region, his threat of pre-emptive strikes against sovereign Asian nations and his pursuit of a trade deal with the United States that would discriminate against our Asian trading partners."
Vaile's office said the Australian government wanted to maintain its strong trade relationship with China.
An Australian Customs Service spokesman said the changes were not aimed at any particular nation or at stopping the dumping of any particular product.
"It's all about tidying up procedures to make sure that matters are dealt with in a fair and equitable way consistent with WTO polices," he said. "Recommendations about dumping that are put to the minister will be subject to a strict formula."
But the Chinese embassy said there was a ready market for reasonably-priced Chinese electromechanical, clothing and textile products, which "pose competition with Australia industries to some extent".
Under WTO rules, a government can impose a duty on goods found to have been dumped on its domestic market at below normal cost. The duty usually lasts for five years.