China’s ‘no’ on Australian beans: what the import rejection says about trade ties

China’s recent rejection of a shipment of Australian beans citing a pesticide problem suggests that Beijing is adopting a stricter enforcement approach despite the stabilisation of trade ties over the past few years, according to experts.

Ten containers of Australian mung beans were blocked by authorities in China – the largest buyer of the commodity – after tests found glyphosate residues five times above China’s permitted limit, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported last week.

The incident caused ripples of concern, as bilateral trade had begun to improve over the past few years after a period of tussles involving Australian barley, wine, beef and other products.

Though largely viewed as an isolated case, the rejection showed China was moving towards tighter enforcement across the board as security became a bigger concern for Beijing, some researchers said.

“China, with its growing economic clout, is no longer responding defensively on trade but is increasingly acting to protect its own interests,” said Chen Fengying, a researcher with the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations. “Even US imports are facing tougher scrutiny despite their relatively stable relations now.”

But such cases were unlikely to influence the “relatively positive direction” of bilateral relations, she said, adding that the two countries were set to attend meetings of the G20 and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum later this year. The US was also set to attend.