China’s Ban on Australian Timber and other Products is Taking its Toll on Green Triangle Region and its Seaport Economy

The recent shipment ban put into place by China on Australian timber (logs), coal and other agricultural and seafood products is already having a significant impact on the Green Triangle region and its seaport economy. In the last two weeks no ships carrying softwood logs have sailed. In turn, leaving tens of thousands of logs stacked around the port and in danger of deteriorating to the point that no buyer can be found. Inland, plantation harvesting equipment and trucks usually used to haul logs to the port are sitting idle due to lack of work. Chief executive of the Port of Portland Greg Tremewen said China’s ban is putting “At stake are hundreds of millions of dollars. Thousands of jobs rely on this [forests export] industry … The federal government has to find a way to sort out this problem urgently.” Currently the Australian government is seeking to hold China to its free trade and World Trade Organization obligations and were also looking at ways to assist the forests industry without seriously distorting the market.