Australia New Trade Minister Says U.K., EU Trade Deals Priority
- Tehan has reached out to China to re-establish communication
- Minister hopes FTAs with U.K., EU will be finalised this year
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Australia’s trade priority is to seal deals with the European Union and the U.K., which would give the country access to 500 million consumers, new Trade Minister Dan Tehan said.
Australia faces increasing tariffs from China, by far its largest trading partner — as tensions rise between the two countries. Tehan, who took over from Simon Birmingham last month, has written to Chinese counterparts in an effort to re-establish dialogue. He said he was hopeful the recent appointment of Chinese Trade Minister Wang Wentao would present them both with an opportunity for a fresh start to diplomatic engagement.