Australia’s trade minister says that while there might be some delays in processing of coal shipments at Chinese ports, he has no reason to believe China is banning Australian coal.
Simon Birmingham told reporters Friday in Adelaide that he did not see any problem in the relationship between the two countries. His comments followed a report by the Reuters news agency, citing an unnamed port official, that said the northern Chinese port of Dalian had banned imports of Australian coal
Continue Reading Below
Coal is one of Australia’s largest exports. The report caused the Australian dollar to briefly tumble and sent officials scrambling.
But China’s markets are vital for Australia and relations are sensitive after Australia last year blocked Chinese-owned telecommunications giant Huawei from involvement in its 5G network due to security concerns.
