China Agrees to Lift Import Restrictions on Australian Lobster, Australia Says

Australia and China agreed to a timetable for Beijing to lift import restrictions on Australian live rock lobster by the end of the year, Australia’s foreign affairs ministry announced last week. Australia said the lobsters have been “effectively prevented” from entering China’s market since 2020, but the two sides agreed to remove the trade barrier in a “step towards stabilising the bilateral relationship.”

China has gradually lifted some trade restrictions it has imposed against Australia in recent years, including on certain meat processing facilities in May (see 2405300016).

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the "resolution of trade impediments is at the top of our Government’s agenda. The reinstatement in normalised trade for all commodities is front and centre of the Government’s engagement strategy with China.”