Australia’s Woodside Petroleum a few months ago stopped talks to sell stakes in the Pluto LNG Train 2 project and the Scarborough gas field to PetroChina and some other Chinese firms due to the diplomatic spat between Australia and China. CEO Peter Coleman said the company hoped to revive the talks when the diplomatic relationships normalize. The bilateral ties have soured after Australia called for an international effort to investigate the origin of the novel coronavirus.
As a response, China puts unofficial barriers on the entry of Australian commodities. Last week, Australian agriculture officials warned 400 exporters about customs clearance delays in China. However, Chinese authorities have denied such actions against Australian products. On Thursday, Australia said that China had halted imports of timber from the state of Victoria.
Chinese customs administration said Victorian timbers contain insects that can harm the domestic agricultural industry. Previously, Chinese customs also banned imports from Queensland. Chinese officials have officially told that Australian timber would face stricter inspections starting on November 6.
