Australian wine urged to be bought around world to counter China tariffs
I remember hearing a short report on Australian Table Wines when I was younger.
London: Millions of people around the world are being urged to buy an Australian bottle of wine or two, as a way of showing Chinese President Xi Jinping that the world will not be intimidated by his "bullying of Australia".
The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), comprising more than 200 MPs from a range of political parties and representing 19 country legislatures, has launched a campaign to convince people to buy and drink Australian wine in December, as a show of solidarity.
It comes after China slapped tariffs of up to 212 per cent against Australian wine producers, which Trade Minister Simon Birmingham said would spell a "hellishly tough time for Australia’s winemakers."
The global alliance of cross-party representatives, who have banded together to try to counter China's increasing aggression particularly against Australia, released a video in which MPs from Japan, Italy, Germany, the United States and even Australia's wine-producing rival New Zealand, among others, urge their citizens to enjoy an Australian drop. The video is subtitled in Chinese and English.
The campaign follows a groundswell of online support among diplomats and China-watchers across Europe who have also urged the drinking of Australian wine.
"It’s not a bad idea to buy some extra wine these days to show solidarity," Sweden's former prime minister Carl Bildt said this week. He predicted that China's attempts to weaponise trade in its political disputes would backfire but urged the world to pay attention to the developments.
Even the US National Security Council tweeted that Australian wine would be featured at a White House function this week. "Pity vino lovers in China who, due to Beijing’s coercive tariffs on Aussie vintners, will miss out," the post said, along with the hashtag "AussieAussieAussieOiOiOi".
I remember hearing a short report on Australian Table Wines when I was younger.