“People have just come out of a pretty bad time with the COVID restrictions going back to January,” he said. “It hasn’t been a good year. If they don’t have enough certainty to go fishing they’ll have to tie up the boat and do something else to generate an income.”
Queensland timber logs have also been banned after tree-destroying bark beetles were allegedly found in a shipment along with barley from Emerald Grain Australia. The claims have been strongly denied by Australian exporters.
The trade dispute followed Australia's push for an inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus in April but has continued to intensify after Beijing imposed new national security laws on Hong Kong and advanced its territorial claims on the South China Sea.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has denied it is ratcheting up economic pressure to win diplomatic concessions.
"China conducts friendly cooperation with other countries based on mutual respect,equality and mutual benefit,"Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Monday night.
"We hope Australia can do more things conducive to mutual trust,bilateral cooperation and the spirit of China-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership."
Despite the diplomatic rift between the two countries,overall Australian exports to China surged past expectations in the first half of this year,adding an extra $2.6 billion,4 per cent higher in July than at the same time in 2019. The result was largely driven by iron ore and coal,which were needed to power China's economic recovery.
But Australian ministers Simon Birmingham and David Littleproud have not had official-level contact with their counterparts since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak.
Labor's trade spokeswoman Madeleine King on Tuesday called for a new dedicated trade minister to be immediately appointed to resolve the crisis.
"The government needs to take the challenges of Australia’s trade issues seriously and take their head out of the sand,"she said.
Senator Birmingham has taken on the Finance portfolio on top of trade,after the departure of former minister Mathias Cormann in October.
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Australian trade officials were on Tuesday afternoon examining the authenticity of the instructions relayed in the customs notice,as concerns grow it may be self-fulfilling and encourage importers to diversify away from Australian products.
Senator Birmingham said on Tuesday the numerous reports of difficulties that different Australian exports are facing on entry into China are of concern.
"Whilst we shouldn’t jump to conclusions,we are working closely with the various industries who have been the subject of these reports,"he said.
Senator Birmingham has urged Australian companies dependent on China to broaden their markets to account for"unpredictable administrative decisions that have been made at the Chinese end". He has threatened to take China to the World Trade Organisation over the infringements.
The verbal instructions relayed in the purported customs notice state"after November 6,seven major categories of products are not allowed to be imported from Australia". The list includes"barley,sugar,red wine,logs,coal,lobster,copper ore and its concentrates".
"A unified approach (for commercial reasons) should be used when suspending trade with Australian companies,"the notice states.
Beijing-based Australian wine importer Chen Wei,from Wenzhou Shishun International Trade,said he had been waiting for the final ruling of an anti-dumping investigation into Australian wine that the Chinese government commenced in August.
"Once it is convicted,we have to give up Australia and choose other countries like Italy or Chile,as it means the death penalty for Australia,"he said.
He said he was concerned by the customs notice but said he believed it was a rumour because he had yet to receive an official notification.
"It made people upset,"he said."I was thinking of importing the last batch of Australian wine."
Chinese wine importers have told Australian exporters to not dispatch any more wine exports,but there are no details of how long affected goods would be unable to clear Chinese customs.
“There’s no official word from China...but it’s so widespread that it’s too consistent for it not to be taken very seriously,” Mr Battaglene said.
Treasury Wine Estates said it had not had any formal advice or notification from the Chinese authorities and on that basis,had nothing further to add.
Agriculture Minister David Littleproud and Trade Minister Simon Birmingham.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
Australia exports more than $1.6 billion in copper each year to China but demand for the ore was expected to surge with increases in renewable energy technology.
Sandfire,which sends up to 90 per cent of its copper from one of its major mines to China each year,said it was maintaining regular contact with its key customers around the world.
"Should it be required,Sandfire is confident in its ability to increase sales contract volumes to existing and also new copper concentrate customers in non-Chinese markets,"it said in a statement.