Australian firms to attend China fair amid trade row

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA (AA) - Amid tense bilateral relations, a record number of Australian companies are attending the 3rd China International Import Expo in November, Chinese media reported Tuesday.

Nearly 200 Australian firms will attend the China Expo in November for five days which will be held in Shanghai, daily Global Times reported.

The expo will be held from Nov. 5 to 10 wherein around 1,000 food companies from nearly 100 countries and regions will participate to showcase variety of food products.

The Australia companies are attending the China expo at a time when the two countries are locked in a verbal duel affecting the bilateral trade.

“We want the expo to become a meeting point for global food companies and set the industry's latest trends,” said Zhou Yanling, deputy general manager of the exhibition department of the expo, according to ECNS website.

More than 1,000 activities, including food sampling and cooking sessions, will be held during the expo.

The Australian companies recently complained that China has informally asked its businesses to halt imports of steel and cotton from Australian counterparts.

The trigger to ongoing bilateral tensions between China and Australia lies in Canberra’s demand to probe the COVID-19 virus origin, frustrating Beijing.

Also, Australia is investigating the influence of China inside the country’s political spectrum which saw an unprecedented rise in recent years.