China Allows Australian Timber Imports Amid Thawing Ties

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The timber trade between Australia and China was worth A$1.6 billion ($1.1 billion) in the 2019–20 financial year

(Bloomberg) — In another sign of a thaw in economic and diplomatic relations, Australian timber exports to China will be allowed to resume immediately after more than two years of restrictions.

The timber industry got a green light to resume trade, China’s ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian said Thursday in Canberra. Trade was halted in 2020 after China said it had found pests in some shipments, but the concerns among China’s quarantine officials were soothed after “serious study” of materials provided by Australian exporters, Xiao said.