Lobsters back on the menu as China lifts four-year ban on Australian exports

China agrees to recommence the shellfish trade (worth £359m in 2019) after lengthy ban

Lobster will be back on the menu after the ban was lifted (Getty)

China has agreed to resume imports of live Australian lobsters this year, Australia’s prime minister Anthony Albanese said this week. It will remove the final major trade barrier in a four-year diplomatic spat between the two countries.

Mr Albanese announced the breakthrough in talks following a meeting with Chinese premier Li Qiang on the sidelines of the Asean summit in Laos on Thursday.

“I’m pleased to announce that Premier Li and I have agreed on a timetable to resume full lobster trade by the end of this year,” Mr Albanese told reporters.

China imposed a ban on Australian-caught lobster imports in 2020 as part of its efforts to downgrade diplomatic and trade ties with Australia. It came after the previous Australian government called for an independent investigation into the origins and handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In response, Beijing introduced a series of official and unofficial trade barriers on Australian products, including on beef, barley, coal, wood, and wine, resulting in an annual loss of trade worth AU$20bn (£10bn).

The return of Australian lobsters to Chinese seafood markets would mark a significant milestone for the Albanese administration, which has worked toward stabilising relations with China since his centre-left Labour Party entered government in 2022.

Anthony Albanese shakes hands with Li Qiang on the sidelines of the summit (AP)

Mr Albanese said he and the Chinese premier had agreed to resume full lobster trade by the end of 2024, in time for Chinese New Year.

“This will be welcomed by the people engaged in the live lobster industry in places like Geraldton and South Australia and Tasmania and so many parts of particularly regional Australia,” Mr Albanese added.

The Australian PM shares a light moment with Philippine's President Ferdinand Marcos Jr (AP)

China’s foreign ministry did not comment directly on the lifting of the ban but a spokesperson told a news briefing the country was willing to work with Australia to “properly resolve issues of mutual concern through dialogue”.

China was the biggest market for Australian rock lobster, accounting for 90 per cent of exports, before the ban. The lobster trade was worth more than £359m in 2019.

Lobster was one of the last major products banned by Beijing after it lifted prohibitive tariffs on Australian wine and restrictions on Australian beef in December 2023.