BEIJING/SYDNEY -- China has suspended imports of timber from the Australian state of Queensland, China's foreign ministry confirmed Monday, expanding a trade clampdown amid souring relations between the two countries.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Wang Wenbin placed the blame on the Australian side in a news conference. "The Chinese customs has since January detected many cases of live pests in timber imported from Australia" that could "gravely endanger China's forestry production and ecological security," he said.
