Australia is hopeful China will next lift trade sanctions on barley imports in a fresh sign of improving trade relations.
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China's ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian on Thursday confirmed bans on Australian timber imports worth $600 million, which had been in place since 2020 after Beijing cited quarantine risks, had been lifted.
The timber ban was part of the $20 billion in coercive trade sanctions imposed by Beijing that same year at the height of the diplomatic rift between the two countries and included barley and wine exports.
The ambassador also revealed talks were underway for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to visit China "as quickly as possible".
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Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt said there were "positive signals on the barley front".
"We'd be hopeful that we can certainly get that resolved within that three-month window," he told the ABC on Friday.
"The next thing would be wine, because there are similar issues that face the wine industry."
The lifting of the timber ban comes after Trade Minister Don Farrell visited Beijing last week, where he met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Wentao.
Australian Associated Press
