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The first, and most important, is that Australian coal will struggle to compete on price in China, especially thermal grades used to make electricity. Once the informal ban came into effect, Australia's share of China's imports dropped to zero by early 2021. China's imports of Russian thermal coal have remained solid, with some seasonal variations, since then and were 2.96 million tonnes in December, according to Kpler. The question is whether Australian coal miners can compete on price with Russian thermal supplies, and the answer is probably not. Add in a likely price disadvantage and it's hard to see Australian thermal coal charging back into China.

☆ China boosts coal output, eases Australia ban to bolster energy security
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Muyu Xu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

SINGAPORE, Jan 9 (Reuters) - The increasing need to secure energy supplies after easing COVID-19 restrictions has pushed China to gradually resume Australian coal imports and urge domestic miners to boost their already record output. "Many miners would welcome the opportunity to renew their commercial relationships in China for both metallurgical coal and thermal coal." read moreAmong them, China Energy Investment Corp has placed an order to import Australian coal which could load later this month. read moreMarket participants expect more firms to be granted permission to buy Australian coal in the coming months. HIGHER QUALITYChina purchased more than 30 million tonnes of coking coal and nearly 50 million tonnes of thermal coal from Australia before buying stopped.

☆ Explainer: How strained China-Australia relations hit trade in coal, barley, beef and wine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Jan 6 (Reuters) - China is resuming coal trade with Australia after a three-year halt following strained relations between the two countries over wider issues. Aside from coal, exports of barley, beef, cotton, wine, lobsters and grapes were all hit with restrictions of varying degrees during 2020. China issued verbal instructions to buyers to avoid Australian goods such as coal and cotton, and imposed anti-dumping tariffs on barley and wine. The barley trade with the world's biggest beer maker had previously amounted to between A$1.5 billion ($1.01 billion) and A$2 billion a year. Winemakers in South Africa have seen demand boom, while barley exports from France, Canada, Argentina and Ukraine to China also surged.

☆ Exclusive: China Energy places order to import Australian coal
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Muyu Xu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

India's share of Australian coal increased to 15.7% in 2022 from 12.3%, while Europe's share increased to 8% from 4.6%, the Kpler data showed. "Australian thermal coal is of better quality and is expensive. Global prices of both coking and thermal coal shot up after Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year. Analysts and traders expect the return of Australian coal to challenge the market share of suppliers such as Russia and add to pressure on prices in the longer term. "Entry of Australian coal into Chinese markets could ease coking coal prices, which are currently on the higher side," an Indian coal trader said.

☆ Hawkish Fed rhetoric fails to lift dollar; Aussie jumps
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Rae Wee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Yet, that failed to give a boost to the U.S. currency, which slid 1.4% against the Canadian dollar overnight. Sterling was last steady at $1.2062, after rising 0.76% against the dollar in the previous session, while the euro edged 0.19% higher to $1.0624, following a more than 0.5% overnight gain. Against a basket of currencies, the U.S. dollar index fell 0.14% to 104.06, after slipping 0.5% on Wednesday. The Aussie was last steady at $0.6835, while the kiwi rose 0.11% to $0.6298, after gaining 0.7% in the previous session. "The Aussie dollar has obviously benefitted from the coal story," said NAB's Attrill, adding that most other commodity currencies were supported.

☆ Australia seeks to resolve China trade woes as foreign minister heads to Beijing
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Renju Jose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Wong is expected to meet Wang Yi in Beijing on Wednesday, the first visit by an Australian minister since 2019 and the first formal talks in Beijing between the two nations' top diplomats since 2018. "Many of the hard issues in the relationship will take time to resolve in our interests," Wong said during a media briefing in Canberra before leaving for China. A meeting between Albanese and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 in Bali last month signalled a thaw in ties, although China's trade sanctions remain in place. Wong will attend the sixth Australia–China Foreign and Strategic Dialogue in Beijing, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. She hoped the restart of official talks would "stabilise" the relationship between China and Australia.

☆ Australia will urge China to lift trade sanctions-foreign minister
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

SYDNEY, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Tuesday she would push for trade sanctions to be lifted in her meeting with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi as Canberra looks to repair strained diplomatic relations with Beijing. "Many of the hard issues in the relationship will take time to resolve in our interests," Wong said during a media briefing before leaving for China. Wong is expected to meet Wang Yi in Beijing on Wednesday, the first visit by an Australian minister since 2019 and the first formal talks in Beijing between the two nations' top diplomats since 2018. Reporting by Renju Jose; editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

SYDNEY, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong will visit China this week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Monday, signalling an improvement in diplomatic relations between Beijing and Canberra. Wong will meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and hold the sixth Australia–China Foreign and Strategic Dialogue, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries on Wednesday. It will be the first visit to China by an Australian minister since 2019, and the first formal talks in Beijing between the two nations' top diplomats since 2018. The significance of it is that it's a meeting not in a conference, but a physical meeting in Beijing. read moreAustralian diplomats have previously said Canberra's moves to improve ties with Beijing would not bring a shift in defence policy.

That made Vietnam one of the top buyers of Russian arms, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), which tracks global military expenditures. Starting Thursday, the country will host its first large-scale international arms trade fair, for which more than 170 companies from 30 countries have registered, the defence ministry said. The Defence Ministry referred questions about the country's defence industry to the Foreign Ministry, which did not respond to requests for comment. A half-dozen Russian defence firms are registered for the Hanoi fair, including Rosoboronexport, the state agency that imports and exports weapons. That year, the COVID-19 pandemic reduced Vietnam's military imports to only $32 million, of which $9 million worth were Russian arms.

☆ With eye on China, US to boost military forces in Australia – and ‘invite’ Japan to join in
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The United States will increase the rotational presence of air, land and sea forces in Australia, including bomber aircraft and fighter jets, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Tuesday, amid shared concerns about China. Australia’s Northern Territory is already host to frequent military collaborations with the US. Thousands of US Marines rotate through the territory annually for training and joint exercises, started under former President Barack Obama. Just before last year’s AUSMIN talks, the US, United Kingdom and Australia created a security deal, known as AUKUS, that will provide Australia with the technology to deploy nuclear-powered submarines. The two sides said they had further discussions on that issue and Britain’s Defense Minister Ben Wallace will attend a first in-person meeting of AUKUS ministers on Wednesday in Washington.

☆ Australia's PM says he's not in group of Australian MPs to visit Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese attends the APEC Leader's Dialogue with APEC Business Advisory Council during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, Friday, Nov. 18, 2022, in Bangkok, Thailand. The group, which includes Australia's governing Labor Party and opposition Liberal-National coalition MPs, will fly to Taiwan on Sunday and is the first delegation of its type to visit there since 2019, The Australian newspaper reported on Saturday. Albanese on Saturday described the trip as a "backbench" visit to Taiwan, not a government-led one. "There remains a bipartisan position when it comes to China and when it comes to support for the status quo on Taiwan," Albanese told reporters in the town of Renmark, in South Australia state. The group will reportedly meet with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and Foreign Minister Joseph Wu, with the visit having support from Taiwan's foreign ministry.

☆ Rape charge in Australia Parliament case is dropped over mental health worries
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

The Associated Press does not usually identify alleged victims of sexual assault, but Higgins has chosen to identify herself in the media. Director of Public Prosecutions Shane Drumgold said he dropped the case based on medical evidence that a trial could cost Higgins’ life. While the decision to drop the case was disappointing, Higgins’ health came first, the statement said. Speak up against rape, speak up against injustice, to speak up and share my experiences with others. I told the truth no matter how uncomfortable or unflattering to the court,” a tearful Higgins told reporters outside court.

☆ Australian Parliament censures former prime minister
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

CANBERRA, Australia — Australia’s former Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday listed his achievements in government including standing up to a “bullying” China as he unsuccessfully argued against being censured by Parliament for secretly amassing multiple ministerial powers. A censure motion against Morrison, who remains an opposition lawmaker, has no effect other than to tarnish his political legacy. The censure motion said that by failing to inform his Cabinet, Parliament and the Australian people of his additional ministerial powers, Morrison had undermined responsible government and eroded public trust in Australia’s democracy. Morrison’s successor, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, this month held Australia’s first official bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping since Morrison’s predecessor, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, in 2016. In calling for Morrison’s censure, Albanese said the former prime minister had demonstrated hubris, arrogance and denial but no contrition.

☆ Australia argues against ‘endangered’ status for Great Barrier Reef
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

CANBERRA, Australia — Australia’s environment minister said Tuesday her government will lobby against UNESCO adding the Great Barrier Reef to a list of endangered World Heritage sites. The report, which recommended shifting the Great Barrier Reef to endangered status, followed a 10-day mission in March to the famed reef system off Australia’s northeast coast that was added to the World Heritage list in 1981. “We’ll very clearly make the point to UNESCO that there is no need to single the Great Barrier Reef out in this way” with an endangered listing, Plibersek told reporters. “If the Great Barrier Reef is in danger, then every coral reef in the world is in danger,” Plibersek said. The Great Barrier Reef accounts for around 10% of the world’s coral reef ecosystems.

But it is spreading across finance, energy, retail and aviation, threatening to push up labour costs in industries facing supply-chain bottlenecks and worker shortages. The turmoil is especially pronounced because union power was curtailed in Australia under laws in place since the 1990s. In the year to June, the average Australian wage rose 2.6%, compared with inflation of 6.1%, according to official data. Despite seven interest-rate hikes since May, inflation is set to climb further before subsiding in 2023, the government says. But in the current climate in Australia, workers are in no mood to back down.

☆ Great Barrier Reef should be put on 'in danger' list, UN panel says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Renju Jose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SYDNEY, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Australia's Great Barrier Reef should be listed as a world heritage site that is "in danger", a UN panel recommended on Tuesday, saying the world's biggest coral reef ecosystem was significantly impacted by climate change and warming of oceans. Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said the government would push UNESCO to not list the reef as endangered because climate change was threatening all coral reefs across the world. "We'll clearly make the point to UNESCO that there is no need to single the Great Barrier Reef out in this way," Plibersek said during a media briefing. The independent Great Barrier Reef Foundation said it was already aware of the series of threats identified in the UN report but the recommendation to add the reef to the endangered list was premature. "The Great Barrier Reef is a wonder, she's got her challenges, but she's definitely not on her last legs in any case," Managing Director Anna Marsden told Reuters.

More than a year after Washington, London and Canberra torpedoed a big French submarine contract, pushing Franco-US relations to breaking point, the two countries are expected to put on a show of unity on common threats from Russia and China. The French leader will try to negotiate exemptions for European companies on the model of those Mexico and Canada has already got, a French presidential adviser said. Macron wants France to build more nuclear reactors but it is struggling with corrosion issues at its ageing plants. Macron will also travel to Louisiana, ostensibly to pay tribute to the state's French heritage, but also to discuss energy issues, the French presidential advisor said. "The United States produce cheap gas but sell it to us at high price," Macron told French executives on November 8.

☆ China holds policing discussion with officials of Pacific island nations
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Nov 23 (Reuters) - China said it held a video meeting to discuss police cooperation with several Pacific island nations on Tuesday, with at least two nations telling Reuters their ministers and police commissioners were unavailable to attend. read moreThose concerns were first sparked when Solomon Islands struck a security pact with China in April. The video meeting, co-chaired with Solomon Islands Minister of Police Anthony Veke, took place after two powerful earthquakes struck Solomon Islands on Tuesday. A photograph posted to the Twitter account of the Chinese embassy in Fiji showed Veke as the only Pacific islands minister at the video meeting. read moreAt a White House summit in September, the United States pledged to boost aid and step up FBI training for Pacific islands including the Solomon Islands.

☆ Analysis: Australia's climate policies don't match its big talk at COP27
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Praveen Menon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Albanese's climate change minister, Chris Bowen, telling the conference Australia was a "willing climate collaborator", made a pitch to host COP31 in 2026 along with the Pacific island nations. "But if you turn to see the other side of the face it's all about the fossil fuel development and the government's addiction to fossil fuel royalties and revenues," Hutley told Reuters in a phone interview from COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh. Australia's biggest contribution to the climate crisis is its export of fossil fuels. More than 100 fossil fuel developments continued in various stages as of December 2021, the council said in a report this month, based on government data. "There is clearly a policy gap in Australia that is allowing fossil fuel companies to continue expanding and developing new fossil fuel projects," said Will van de Pol, asset management campaigner at activist investor group Market Forces.

The meeting takes place as both countries work to improve relations overshadowed by disputes over trade, Taiwan, human rights and the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. China is Australia’s biggest trading partner, accounting for up to a third of its roughly A$475 billion ($303 billion) of annual exports. Australia's relations with China began to sour in 2017 when Australia introduced laws to deal with what it said was Chinese interference in Australian politics. Two Australian journalists, Cheng Lei and Yang Hengjun, are in jail in China awaiting sentences after closed-door national security trials. Albanese said China acknowledged that Australia had raised the issue of the imprisoned journalists but he gave no further details.

Nov 15 (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he discussed trade, consular and human rights issues in a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit on Tuesday, the first meeting between leaders of the two countries since 2016. The meeting takes place as both countries work to improve relations overshadowed by disputes over trade, Taiwan, human rights and the origins of the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak. "Australia seeks a stable relationship with China. Two Australian journalists, Cheng Lei and Yang Hengjun, are also in jail in China awaiting sentences after closed-door national security trials. Albanese said China acknowledged that Australia had raised the issue of the imprisoned journalists, but he gave no further details.

☆ Biden discusses security pact, Taiwan Strait with Australian PM
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( Kanishka Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 13 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden on Sunday met Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and discussed their security pact and issues surrounding the Taiwan Strait, the White House said. The AUKUS security pact between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia is seen as an effort by the Western allies to push back against China's growing power and influence, particularly its military buildup, pressure on Taiwan and deployments in the contested South China Sea. The two leaders met on the margins of the East Asia Summit in Cambodia and also discussed Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the White House said in a statement. "The leaders recognized the imperative of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait," the White House said. Beijing staged war games in August after U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei, and has since continued military activities nearby including almost daily fighter jet crossings of the sensitive median line in the narrow Taiwan Strait.

☆ Australia's Albanese talks briefly with China's Li, prompting talk of summit -media
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese spoke briefly with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at a regional summit in Cambodia, Australian media said on Sunday, sparking some expectations of a formal summit with President Xi Jinping. Albanese and Li spoke on arrival at a gala on the sidelines of the summit in Phnom Penh of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported. The discussion raised the prospect of a potential Albanese-Xi meeting at the summit of the Group of 20 big economies in Indonesia on Monday. The last bilateral summit was in 2019 when Albanese's predecessor, Scott Morrison, met Xi at a G20 meeting, according to Australia's foreign ministry. Albanese's office said last week he will attend that meeting and a subsequent summit in Bangkok of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group.

☆ Australia's Albanese says it would be positive if meeting arranged with China's Xi
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Alasdair Pal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Wednesday a meeting with China's President Xi Jinping it would be a positive development after years of strained relations between the two countries. Albanese is set to attend the G20 summit in Bali, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Bangkok and the East Asia Summit in Cambodia, his office said on Wednesday. "I've made it very clear that dialogue is a good thing, and if a meeting is arranged with Xi, then that would be a positive thing," Albanese told a news conference in Canberra. read moreThe leaders of the two countries last met when Albanese's predecessor Scott Morrison met Xi at the G20 in 2019, according to Australia's foreign ministry. read moreBoth countries should work to rebuild trust and put their relationship back on the right track, a statement from China's foreign ministry quoted Wang as saying.

☆ Atlassian plummets more than 20% on weak earnings report and disappointing forecast
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Scott Farquhar, co-founder and co-CEO of the software company Atlassian, speaks during a jobs and skills summit at Parliament House on September 1, 2022 in Canberra, Australia. Here's how the company did:Earnings: 36 cents per share, adjusted, vs. 38 cents per share as expected, according to Refinitiv. 36 cents per share, adjusted, vs. 38 cents per share as expected, according to Refinitiv. Revenue: $807.4 million, vs. $806.4 million as expected, according to Refinitiv. For the fiscal second quarter, Atlassian sees $835 million to $855 million in revenue, below the Refinitiv consensus of $879.2 million.

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