Trying to silence criticism over the coronavirus pandemic, China is deploying a well-used weapon -- trade sanctions.
Beijing has blocked some imports of Australian beef after Prime Minister Scott Morrison's government, endorsed by Washington, called for a robust inquiry into the origins of the outbreak and rebuffed Chinese demands to back off.
Beijing has suspended beef imports from four Australian slaughterhouses, however, and is threatening huge tariffs on barley in moves it says are simply about regulations."We are standing our ground on our values and the things that we know are always important," Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters Friday.
The relationship between the countries has been rocky since 2018 when Australia blocked Chinese-owned tech company Huawei from rolling out a new 5G network, citing security concerns. Last year, China suspended imports of Australian coal after Australia's government rescinded a visa for a prominent Chinese businessman.
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