China Started Anti-Dumping Probe on Australian Wine

China started an anti-dumping investigation into Australian wine, the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement Tuesday.

The probe would normally finish within a year, but can extend to Feb. 18, 2022, according to the statement. The investigation applies to wine sold in containers holding two liters or less.

Relations between Canberra and Beijing, which have close economic ties, have grown increasingly frayed in recent months. Following an Australian demand earlier this year for China to allow international investigators to probe the origins of Covid-19, China halted some beef imports and then placed tariffs on Australia’s barley exports in May after the conclusion of earlier anti-dumping probe.

Shares of an Australian wine maker tumbled on the news. Treasury Wine Estates Ltd. fell as much as 14.3%, the most since Jan. 29, while Australia’s benchmark index advanced.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Scrabbl staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)