It is up to Chinese companies to decide whether to resume imports of Australian coal, China’s envoy to Australia Xiao Qian said Tuesday.
(Bloomberg) — It is up to Chinese companies to decide whether to resume imports of Australian coal, China’s envoy to Australia Xiao Qian said Tuesday.
“As we improve our relationship, as we develop our relationship, we’ll come back to a normal kind of relationship,” Ambassador Xiao said, at a rare press briefing in Canberra.
The buying and selling of coal is a business and it’s up to companies from the two countries to “make their own decisions,” he said.
Coal importers have already begun to strike deals with Australian producers since the National Development and Reform Commission last week flagged an easing of informal trade curbs.
Read more: Top Miner BHP Said to Sell Coal to China as Trade Curbs Thaw
Glencore Plc and BHP Group Ltd. are among shippers to have agreed sales, according to people familiar with the details.
Australia-China relations had a “turnaround” and a “very positive year,” following the election of Anthony Albanese’s government in 2022, Xiao said.
Beijing and Canberra should deepen their collaboration on climate change and critical minerals, he said, singling out electric vehicles and the strategically-important metal lithium as areas of potential cooperation.
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