SYDNEY -- China's abrupt ending of COVID lockdowns late last year has sparked optimism in Australia that it will dodge a recession, even as its central bank keeps raising interest rates.
China's endless appetite for iron ore, coal and liquefied natural gas has underpinned the Australian economy's golden run over the last three decades. It helped the country avoid a recession during the 2008 global financial crisis, although trade disruption at the start of the pandemic resulted in a brief technical recession in 2020.
