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China pulls handbrake on Australian lobster imports

Negotiations to resume Australia’s lobster trade with China are proceeding at a crawling pace as Beijing makes more demands of the industry.

China alleged Australian lobsters were contaminated – which Canberra denied – and the hurdle remains a point of contention within the trading relationship.

Beijing has flagged stifling restrictions on lobsters including strict monitoring, testing and auditing rules.

Australia’s agriculture department has submitted a response to Chinese counterparts about their technical concerns over lobster imports following discussions.

Lobster farmers are loathe to speak publicly about the restrictions because of the sensitivities of the negotiations.

Australian officials are set to head to Beijing for talks in the coming week and the treasurer is visiting soon after.

Trade Minister Don Farrell said the Chinese have “their own way of processing all of these issues” and removing the embargo was taking longer than Australia would have liked.

“We’ve always responded to every request by the Chinese … and we continue to do that,” he said.

The Chinese embassy in Australia was contacted for comment.

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