Australia exports to China remained strong in May despite rising political tensions
- Australia’s exports to China, excluding services, climbed 8 per cent in May despite higher barley tariffs, a ban on beef from four abattoirs and the impact of coronavirus lockdowns
- Political tensions started in April after Canberra proposed an international investigation into the origins of the coronavirus
Despite rising tensions between China and Australia, overall trade between the two countries has remained steady, with some sectors even posting increases, the latest export data and sector updates showed.
Australia’s overall exports climbed between March and May as China gradually recovered from the various lockdowns imposed throughout the country to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
Australian exports to China, excluding services, rose 8 per cent from April to A$13.6 billion (US$9.4 billion) in May, according to international trade data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics earlier this month.
China was again Australia’s biggest export partner in May, well ahead of Japan, which bought A$3.8 billion in goods, with exports to the United States third at A$2.3 billion.
While total exports to China rose between April and May, exports to Japan and the US fell 9 per cent and 7 per cent, respectively.