Australia and China’s barley deal is an 11th-hour off-ramp after years of trade tensions

Latest move fits with Albanese government’s attempts to pursue ‘constructive’ dialogue with China without making any policy concessions

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The Australian government is taking a gamble by pressing pause on its formal complaint against China’s hefty tariffs on barley at the 11th hour.

But ministers appear to see this as a risk worth taking in the hope of solving one of the most intractable elements of the wider dispute between Australia and its largest trading partner.

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