Market access holding back AU ag exports to China
Mr Colbeck - a former Tasmanian Liberal Senator and Assistant Trade Minister and Assistant Agriculture Minister - presented a discussion paper at a recent dialogue in Beijing and Shanghai on trade reform, between China and Australia.
In his China presentation, he said the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA) - that came into force in December 2015 - represented one of the most significant advances in trade between the two countries in many decades and was the most comprehensive agreement China had negotiated with a developed economy.
He said other technical market access issues remained in place as trade barriers that needed to be negotiated over and above core tariff and customs requirements.
Mr Colbeck said the “spectacular growth” of food and agricultural products in the Chinese market over the last five years to December 2016 of close to 250 percent, was largely off the back of gaining technical market access.
He said products including table grapes, apples, mangoes, nectarines and dried fruit, have all gained their foothold through the approval of technical market access protocols.
Subsequently, those products have improved their respective market situations through Australia’s “strong reputation” for supplying quality, safe food products and the competitive market advantage achieved from the changes in tariffs following the ratification of ChAFTA, he said.
Mr Colbeck warned rather than trying to “beat up” the Chinese over non-tariff barriers that restrict farm trade in areas like biosecurity standards, it was better to find ways of removing them co-operatively through “win-win outcomes that benefit both trading partners”.
NSW rural Liberal MP Angus Taylor said the reduction of non-tariff barriers to complement gains made by free trade agreements remained one of the government’s most pressing priorities and was an ongoing issue that required continued attention.
Read more at goodfruitandvegetables.com.au
