中国在2020年以酒、煤炭、木材、棉花、大麦及龙虾等品项征收关税后，澳大利亚转向韩国、日本等替代市场来降低冲击；在安东尼·阿尔巴内西（Anthony Albanese）任内，虽积极修复中澳关系，与中国的进出口仍回升，2024-2025年度中国占澳洲货物及服务贸易24%，金额达3,090亿澳元（2200亿美元），较2019-2020年的2510亿澳元有所上升；然而美国在川普（Donald Trump）政府下先加征10%「解放日」关税，后又对药品施加100%关税，却因对巴西关税差异而刺激澳洲牛肉对美需求，让低调的澳洲因肉品、大麦、煤炭可转投其他签订协议市场而受损较小。
在伊朗战争引发的全球能源冲击下，澳洲被视为关键贸易与战略资产：其为大型天然气出口国，但仍依赖进口原油及柴油、汽油、航空煤油等成品燃料以支撑农业、工业与运输，因而加快与新加坡、日本、马来西亚及汶莱供应谈判，并将矿物、天然气与农产品列为关键谈判筹码；澳洲与美国合作关键矿产、欧盟协议（历经8年且涵盖feta与prosecco等原产地名称争议）更被视为「缺口」补完，估计每年可新增一百亿澳元（A$10bn）GDP，并提升抗冲击与减少对单一市场依赖的韧性。
Australia became a trade-deal champion after 2021 as Canberra reacted to pressure from China and the US by rapidly diversifying agreements. The UK-Australia deal, the first Britain negotiated post-Brexit, lifted bilateral trade by 14% (2.8 billion pounds) in the year to June 2025. It also removed duties such as 5% on UK biscuits in Australia and 12% on Australian beef entering the UK. Since 2020, Australia has finalized pacts with India, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Hong Kong, and Peru, joined RCEP and the Pacific Plus track, and, after concluding the EU deal last month, now has 20 agreements total since its 1983 accord with New Zealand, signaling a broad anti-protectionist strategy.
After the 2020 Chinese tariff campaign on Australian exports (wine, coal, timber, cotton, barley, and lobsters), Canberra offset losses by redirecting trade toward other partners including Korea and Japan. Under Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Australia later repaired ties with Beijing, while China’s demand for iron ore, coal, and copper lifted trade again. China’s goods-and-services trade share reached 24% in 2024-2025, valued at A$309bn (US$220bn), up from A$251bn in 2019-2020. The Trump administration then added fresh pressure with a 10% liberation-day levy and a 100% tariff on pharmaceuticals, yet Australia still benefited in part because its beef gained demand from the United States under a favorable tariff differential versus Brazil. Shane Oliver of AMP noted Australia’s fungible export mix—meat, barley, coal—and its low-profile diplomacy allowed diversion to markets backed by bilateral deals.
The trade network has proved strategic during wider shocks, including the Iran war energy disruption. Australia is a major natural gas exporter but still imports crude and refined fuel products such as diesel, petrol, and jet fuel, making supply diversification for agriculture, industry, and transport critical. Canberra has therefore coordinated with Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, and Brunei, and highlighted mineral, gas, and agricultural flows as essential bargaining assets. The EU deal, delayed eight years by disputes over Australian protected names like feta and Prosecco and French producer concerns, is seen as the “missing piece” and could add A$10bn a year to GDP, while the broader network of agreements strengthens resilience, reduces tariff vulnerability, and supports strategic positioning in critical minerals against China’s rare-earth concentration.