An economic forecaster has warned trade tensions between Australia and China may become a bigger problem for WA this year, even though its powerhouse iron ore industry has so far escaped unscathed.
Danielle Le Messurier
Under an executive order from President Donald Trump, US investors will have to unwind stakes in any company on the Defence Department list by next November.
Peter Martin and Nick Wadhams
China’s economic ascent is accelerating barely a year after its first coronavirus lockdowns, as its success in controlling COVID-19 allows it to boost its share of global trade and investment.
Tom Hancock and Enda Curran
China has looked to other countries for coal as it continues to snub Australian imports, but it is still indirectly buying it, a producer revealed.
Rebecca Le May
Australia’s peak seafood body says cheap rock lobsters and a plea to support local producers have helped fuel bumper Christmas sales.
Gerard Cockburn
Pilbara iron ore producers hit a new shipment record in 2020 as they sprinted to the finish in December to cash in on surging prices for the steel-making commodity.
Stuart McKinnon
Beijing has drawn up a five-year strategy to reduce its reliance on imported iron ore in a move that will squeeze Pilbara producers.
Sean Smith
A frigid winter is leading to power shortages in parts of China, driving up demand for diesel as factories rush to install generators to keep the lights on.
A new WA honey producer is shrugging of an escalating trade rift with China and is ramping up exports to the Middle Kingdom.
Jenne Brammer
Prime Minister Boris Johnson, whose support for Brexit helped push the country out of the EU, called it “an amazing moment for this country.”
China’s Foreign Minister has reportedly said he wants relations with Australia to “get back on track” and return to normal “as early as possible”.
Annabel Hennessy
Australian exporters battered by an increasingly bitter trade dispute with China can pin their hopes on tariff cuts with key trading partners to help fill the void.
Robyn Wuth
Australia’s economy faces headwinds in the new year as it continues to grapple with the impact of the coronavirus, but growth is set to pick up earlier and faster.
Prashant Mehra
WA has been added to the list Australian States barred from exporting logs to China, but local players say they have their own local processing operations and will feel little impact.
The threat of a second COVID-forced lockdown and the management of borders, plus continued trade tensions with China, are shaping up as the key concerns facing WA businesses in 2021.
Meilin Chew
Australia’s seafood exporters have been urged to hold back shipments to China until the Federal Government gets the green light on new paperwork demands.
Australia’s biggest flower exporter has bloomed during the pandemic but remains hopeful the industry is still too small to be a target of further Chinese trade attacks.
Wine producers in the Swan Valley are ramping up local investment plans to offset the lack of business from China after Australia lost its most lucrative wine export market.
Ray Jordan Wine editor
China suspended imports of Australian timber from WA after local customs officers claimed they had found ‘pests’ in cargo.
The blockade of Australian coal into the Middle Kingdom is taking its toll on power-hungry cities, but it could open the way to resetting the damaged relationship between Canberra and Beijing.
Michael Traill
Australia’s trade tensions with China are starting to bite, with new data showing exports to the Middle Kingdom plunged 10 per cent last month.
Simon Birmingham lost the trade portfolio just two days after officially lodging a complaint about China’s barley tariffs with the World Trade Organisation.
Cally Dupe
The explosives giant hopes US President-elect Joe Biden can lead a rebalancing of international relations, including between Australia and the Middle Kingdom.
Treasury is bracing for much lower iron ore prices in expectation of China buying less Australian ore and other world markets opening up.
Lanai Scarr
© West Australian Newspapers Limited 2020
