China speeds up imports of Australian beef

China's ports have been clearing shipments of Australian beef within a week or two since the start of this year, much faster than the months recorded in the last two years, industry participants said on Friday. The latest sign of a “thaw” in relations between the two countries comes after a visit to China by Foreign Minister Penny Wong, the first such trip by an Australian minister in three years. Last month, China allowed four companies to resume coal imports from Australia after an unofficial ban on the trade since 2020, with the first shipments arriving this week. “Australian beef distributors are reporting much faster processing times recently at Chinese ports,” Andrew Cox, general manager for international markets in Singapore at trading corporation Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA), told Reuters. Release times have dropped to about one to two weeks since January from the previous two months. Cox declined to comment on the reasons for the change. Neither China's General ...