China has lifted bans on imports from five major Australian beef processing facilities, in a positive development for the two nations’ relations. Restrictions have been removed from eight abattoirs, while two remain subject to import bans. China originally imposed these bans in response to calls for an independent investigation into the origin of COVID-19. The lifting of restrictions is expected to boost Australian beef shipments to China, which have already been on the rise. China was Australia’s second-largest beef export market in 2021, with trade data showing exports worth around $1.6 billion.
