Sydney (AFP)

Australian Trade Minister Dan Tehan on Saturday threatened to bring the "unwarranted" surcharge imposed by China on imported Australian wines to the World Trade Organization.

In a final round of measures adopted amid heightened diplomatic tensions between Beijing and Canberra, as of Sunday, Australian wine imports will therefore be subject to compensatory surcharges of between 116.2% and 218.4%, Beijing announced on Friday. .

Minister Tehan said this made it "almost impossible" for Australian wines to compete in the Chinese market.

"This measure adopted by the Chinese government is particularly disappointing and completely unjustified," he told reporters in Melbourne.

"We are going to look at the next steps to take, and that means taking the matter to the World Trade Organization."

China announced on Friday the imposition of heavy anti-dumping measures against imported Australian wines.

Dumping, of which China accuses Australia, is a practice of selling abroad at prices lower than those charged in the domestic market.

Wine exports to China in 2019 reached a record A $ 1.3 billion ($ 900 million), according to Australian government data, the largest market by value for this product.

Last year, Australia again asked the WTO to investigate Chinese taxes on barley imports, following a series of economic sanctions targeting Australian products in the vast Chinese market.

Diplomatic relations between the two countries have reached their lowest level since the bloody 1989 crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protest.

Many see the sanctions as retaliation after Australia blocked Chinese investment in sensitive sectors, as well as after public calls for an investigation to identify the origins of the coronavirus.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, speaking in Sydney, accused Beijing of using the taxes as a "retaliatory" measure.

Mr Morrison also said his country sided with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson after China adopted sanctions against several people in Britain and the European Union for their support of the Uyghur Muslim minority of Xinjiang province, against which Beijing is accused of engaging in abuses.

"So Boris, well done buddy, we are with you and thank you for being with Australia," he said.

© 2021 AFP