MK socks the imported Angus beef skewers from Australia are a top seller at Costco's first store in Minhang district, Shanghai, on December 14, 2024. Photo: VCG" src="https://www.globaltimes.cn/Portals/0/attachment/2025/2025-02-28/cef1fd67-5d55-4515-b45e-e017c61ec10e.jpg" />

As Christmas and new year approach, the imported Angus beef skewers from Australia are a top seller at Costco's first store in Minhang district, Shanghai, on December 14, 2024. Photo: VCG

Australia has reclaimed its position as China's third-largest agricultural import source in 2024, restoring its previous top-three ranking alongside Brazil and the US, indicating improving China-Australia ties, according to data released on Friday by China Chamber of Commerce of Import & Export of Foodstuffs, Native Produce & Animal By-Products (CFNA).

Experts told the Global Times on Friday that the recovery of Australian agricultural exports to China reflects the steady recovery of bilateral ties. As relations stabilize following previous tensions, Chinese companies have shown growing interest in imports, with products like barley making a strong return to the market, helping Australia reclaim its place among China's top agricultural suppliers.

Australia's re-entry into the top three for the first time in years coinciding with stabilizing bilateral relations, Brazil, the US, and Australia emerged as China's top three agricultural import sources last year, with Brazil leading with $52.57 billion in exports, followed by the US with $27.53 billion and Australia ($12.04 billion), according to data released by the CFNA, one of China's six major trade associations.

China's top agricultural import sources in 2024 Photo: courtesy of China Chamber of Commerce of Import & Export of Foodstuffs, Native Produce & Animal By-Products (CFNA)

The Global Times found that between 2017 and 2020, Brazil, the US, and Australia were consistently the top three sources of agricultural imports to China, according to data from the CFNA. However, in 2021, Australia's ranking fell to sixth place, with export values dropping below $10 billion, according to the data.

The turning point came in 2022, when Australia overtook Indonesia, New Zealand, and Thailand in China's agricultural import rankings. By 2024, Australia's agricultural exports had regained its position as the third-largest agricultural supplier to China, once again joining Brazil and the US at the top, with exports exceeding $10 billion once more, according to the CFNA.

The changing ranking of Australian agricultural products among China's import sources mirrors shifts in China-Australia trade relations, Chen Hong, director of the Australian Studies Centre at East China Normal University, told Global Times on Friday.

He noted that China and Australia have complementary economies offering vast cooperation potential, as Australia has abundant mineral and agricultural resources, while China is a major global consumer and importer of both.


Global Times