[1/2] Bottles of Australian wine are seen at a store selling imported wine in Beijing, China November 27, 2020.
REUTERS/Florence Lo/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Sept 24 (Reuters) - Australia wants a separate dialogue with China on their dispute over wine, the agriculture minister said on Sunday, rejecting Beijing's proposal to link wine with other trade issues as the two nations slowly seek to improve battered relations.
China's removal of tariffs last month on Australian barley has raised hopes for an easing of wine tariffs, in place since 2021, which have hammered the country's wine exports.
China on Thursday proposed a "packaged solution" that would tie the wine dispute to those about duties on Australian imports of Chinese railway wheels, wind towers and stainless steel sinks, state news agency Xinhua reported.
China was Australia's top wine export market before COVID, peaking at A$1.2 billion ($770 million) for the 12 months to January 2020 when the pandemic hit.
Persons:
Florence, Murray Watt, Watt, Sam McKeith, William Mallard
Organizations:
REUTERS, Rights, Xinhua, Agriculture, Australian Broadcasting Corp, World Trade Organization, COVID, Thomson
Locations:
Beijing, China, Australia, COVID, Sydney