Coalition boasts of tough line on China but documents reveal private fears on trade
by Daniel Hurst Foreign affairs and defence correspon from on (#5VZ4Z)
Documents obtained under freedom of information show how worried Australian officials were over economic impact of Beijing's actions
The Coalition has ramped up its pre-election attack on Labor over national security, while new documents show how concerned the Australian government was about China's widening trade bans as the diplomatic relationship soured.
At the height of the tensions, coal industry figures told the Australian government Beijing's ban on supply from Australia was fuelling elevated uncertainty", especially because it was unclear how long the disruption would last.
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