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http://www.theland.com.au/news/a ... -point/2716491.aspx
Aus-China FTA at 'critical point'
KEY Australian agricultural representatives travelled to China this week to offer their industry’s specific response to last-minute offerings on critical trade developments.
The Cattle Council of Australia (CCA) and Sheepmeat Council have made the journey, along with livestock processing representatives and the National Farmers' Federation (NFF).
It’s understood the agricultural talks must be concluded on Friday to ensure the Australia-China Free Trade Agreement (FTA) can be signed when Chinese President Xi Jinping visits Australia for the G20 next week.
Trade Minister Andrew Robb is also expected to arrive in Beijing early Friday morning for talks with his Chinese ministerial counterpart, Gao Hucheng, when an in-principle deal may be struck.
NFF president Brent Finlay is not a member of the delegation but said it would be an intense week of negotiations and "agriculture is always the hardest and last part of trade negotiations".
Speaking to Fairfax Media from China, CCA chief executive Jed Matz said every indication had been given that the FTA negotiations were now at a “really critical point”.
Mr Matz said the CCA’s role, and that of other ag groups in China this week, was to ensure the best possible outcomes were achieved. He said beef was a sensitive commodity in the negotiations, given Australia’s beef exports to China had increased significantly over the past few years.
Echoing the key message underpinning a trade delegation to China in September involving about 40 farm delegates and Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce, Mr Matz said Australia had neither plans nor capacity to flood the Chinese market with beef if tariffs were lifted, as is being urged in the FTA deliberations.
“We’re here to ensure we get the best deal we possibly can, as our members would expect us to,” he said.
“The negotiators will be getting various offers and will need to find out from industry if those offers are commercially viable.
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