China will lift 4-year ban on Australian lobster imports, Australia’s prime minister says

Associated Press

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says China will resume importing Australian live lobsters by the end of the year. Albanese made the announcement Thursday after meeting Chinese Premier Li Qiang on the sidelines of a Southeast Asian summit in Laos. The ban on lobsters is the last of a series of official and unofficial trade barriers Beijing has agreed to lift since Albanese’s  government was elected in 2022. Albanese has given assurances that relations with China have been improved without compromising Australian interests. Beijing is unhappy with restrictions Australia has placed on some Chinese investments because of security concerns. China ended trade with Australia in 2020 on a range of commodities.