Australia's Minister for Trade and Tourism, Don Farrell, has stated that the re-elected federal government of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wants to ‘do more business with China’.In a recent interview with the Australian Financial Review (AFR), Farrell emphasized that Australia would resist pressure from the United States to impose tariffs on Chinese imports, stressing that decisions would be made based solely on national interests.’We don't want to do less business with China; we want to do more business with China,’ Farrell said. ‘We'll make decisions about how we continue to engage with China based on our national interests and not on what Americans may or may not want.’According to data from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australian exports to China totaled 219 billion Australian dollars ($140.2 billion) in 2023, compared to 33.5 billion Australian dollars in exports to the United States.In a separate context, Farrell told the AFR that Australia has submitted a proposal to the United States aimed at removing a 10% tariff imposed by US President Donald Trump in April. However, he underscored that any agreement must serve Australia's strategic and economic goals.’We will only do a deal if it's in our national interest. We want a good deal, and we are prepared to wait and be patient,’ he said.He also revealed that Australia is close to finalizing a new offer to the European Union as part of the ongoing free trade agreement negotiations. Talks on the proposed deal had stalled in 2023 but have since resumed, in part due to the evolving global trade landscape following the imposition of new US tariffs.
