The Australian government has decided to pull the trigger and launch a second action against China at the World Trade Organisation (WTO), this time over Beijing’s imposition of hefty tariffs on wine exports. The decision is the latest response from Australia after Beijing launched a year-long economic coercion campaign targeting $20 billion worth of major exports. Trade Minister Dan Tehan on June 19 said the WTO was available to all member nations and the decision was made after extensive consultation with the wine industry. “Australia’s use of the WTO in this matter is consistent with its previous use of the WTO and aligns with our support for the rules-based trading system,” he said. “Australia remains open to engaging directly with China to resolve this issue.” “The government will continue to vigorously defend the interests of Australian winemakers using the established system in the WTO to resolve our differences,” he added. …