Australian Minister: Lobster ban expected to be lifted

According to the Lianhe Zaobao website of Singapore on September 19, Don Farrell, the Minister of Trade and Tourism of Australia, said that the restrictions on the export of Australian lobsters to China were expected to be lifted before Christmas this year.

According to the South China Morning Post on January 24th,  in the three years when the export of Australian lobsters to Chinese Mainland was blocked due to quarantine procedures, ASEAN member countries such as Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam are trying to break their heads and try to seize the gap, and try to put their lobsters on the Chinese table. In 2023, these three countries accounted for 6.8% of China's total lobster imports, doubling from 2019.

At present, China mainly imports rock lobster from New Zealand, which accounts for nearly 40% of the total market value; Next is Mexico, accounting for 20%. The United States is also one of the "beneficiaries" of Australia's withdrawal. Last year, the United States accounted for nearly 16% of China's lobster market share, up from 2.9% in 2019, and the related trade volume increased 3.5 times to US $97.33 million (about RMB 698 million).

At the same time, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam, three ASEAN member countries, are also striving to seize a larger market share. Last year, these three countries accounted for 6.8% of China's total lobster imports, doubling from 2019.