Key facts
- China will impose a 55% import duty on Australian beef.
- The tariff will be applied once imports surpass an annual quota.
- Australian beef imports have reached 90% of this year's quota.
- China's Ministry of Commerce confirmed the tariff adjustment.
- Brazil has gained wider market access to China's beef market.
China's Ministry of Commerce has announced that Australian beef will soon be subject to an additional 55% import duty. This measure is set to be triggered as shipments of Australian beef approach an annual quota established by Beijing. The ministry confirmed that imports have already reached 90% of this year's quota, signaling the imminent application of the higher tariff rate. Previously, Australian beef benefited from low or zero tariffs under a trade agreement. In a separate development, Brazil has gained wider access to China's beef market after Beijing recognized the entire country as free of foot-and-mouth disease, though a new quota will still cap prices. This decision was announced by China's General Administration of Customs and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs during Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira's visit to Beijing.