Trade disputes between countries can take many forms. Sometimes penalties against one country sets off a new round of competition among others.
And that's been happening when it comes to China, Australia and lobsters.
There's some history when it comes to the intersection of politics and trade between China and Australia.
In the spring of 2020, COVID-19 cases were surging, and Australia's government backed calls for an international investigation into the origins of the virus.
An angry Beijing government called Australia “gum stuck to the bottom of China's shoe,” then banned imports of coal from Australia while slapping tariffs on items from grain to wine and seafood.
Tensions between the two countries have eased, but not all the trade restrictions — including lobsters.
That's a sizable market in China.
Government figures put its annual value at more than half a billion U.S. dollars.
In 2019, Australia had more than half that market.
Now itʻs New Zealand with the top spot — nearly 40% of the market. Add in Mexico and the U.S. and thatʻs more than three quarters all lobster exports to China.
But three Southeast Asian nations have made some inroads: Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam.
Those three members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations also happen to be three countries with whom China is looking to deepen diplomatic and economic ties.
