China slaps Australian wine with anti-dumping duties

China will impose anti-dumping duties measures ranging from 116.2 percent to 218.4 percent on some Australian wine imports from March 28 for five years.

According to China's commerce ministry, an investigation found "dumping and subsidies" on imported Australian wines that caused the Chinese domestic industry to suffer material damage.

China's actions are perceived as a retaliation against Australia rejecting Chinese investment in sensitive areas and publicly calling for an investigation into the coronavirus origins.

The move is also China's latest salvo in a series of economic sanctions or disruptions to Australian products, ranging from barley to coal.

Australia had called for the World Trade Organization (WTO) to investigate Chinese tariffs on barley imports.

Wine exports to China hit a record US$900 million in 2019, making it the biggest market by value for the product.