China Australia Photo: CFP

China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) is advancing the investigation process regarding the anti-dumping and countervailing tariffs on Australian wine in accordance with the law, and will conduct a comprehensive review of the claims and evidence of all corresponding parties, ministry spokesperson He Yadong said at a regular press conference on Thursday.

There have been speculations among media outlets and Australian government officials that China will lift the corresponding tariffs on Australian wine in March, following an investigation launched by the MOFCOM in November, 2023.

In responding to media requests for comment on the matter, He said that the MOFCOM has received comments on the case from multiple stakeholders, and has distributed and collected questionnaires.

The ministry will advance the investigation process in accordance with the law, and conduct a comprehensive review of the claims and evidence of all interested parties, He said.

The ministry pledged to fully safeguard the rights of all parties over the matter while making an objective, fair and just ruling, said the spokesperson.

A five-year series of anti-dumping and countervailing tariffs on Australian wines was imposed on March 28, 2021.

On November 30, 2023, the MOFCOM, in response to an application by the Australian Grape and Wine Association, launched a review investigation of the anti-dumping and countervailing duties on Australian wines in accordance with the law.

The review period was expected to last for one year, ending before November 30, 2024, according to the MOFCOM. 

Some Australian government officials, media outlets and industry insiders believe that the tariffs will be lifted in March. Against the backdrop of this speculation, Australian winemakers have ramping up their shipments to the China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region as part of their proactive approach in returning to the Chinese market, their major trading market.

According to industry statistics, Australian wine accounted for 35.54 percent of China's wine market in 2019, surpassing France and holding the largest market share, before losing market share after the imposition of anti-dumping tariffs and soured bilateral relations.

Currently, the top five countries for China's wine imports are France, Chile, Italy, the US and Spain, according to statistics from the General Administration of Customs.

Despite the big fall from the top ranking, industry insiders said the recent active moves by Australian winemakers showed that their confidence in the Chinese market remains unchanged.

China-Australia bilateral trade maintained strong momentum last year, as widely expected, with year-on-year growth of 9.8 percent, surpassing the pre-pandemic level in 2019, according to data released by China's General Administration of Customs.

China's imports of a number of Australian goods such as coal, barley and cotton gradually revived last year, becoming an important driver of the robust trade growth, reports said.