Chinese e-commerce platforms and wet markets are circumventing Beijing’s unofficial ban on Australian lobster imports by offering the popular delicacy for sale to Chinese consumers. Driven by strong demand, the lobster “grey trade” is thriving, with importers moving the Australian goods to Hong Kong and then into Mainland China via waterways. In May, Chinese police found over 569kg worth of lobster during a raid, with an estimated street value of US$19,300. The shellfish were found along with typical goods preferred by smugglers including handbags, jewellery, shark fin, and smartphones. In another instance, Chinese police seized 100 boxes—weighing 1,274kg—containing the famous Western Rock Lobster. The street value of the crustacean was estimated to be US$46,500, according to the South China Morning Post. The increasing regularity of shellfish appearing in the “grey market”—which technically is not illegal—coincides with the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) wide-ranging economic coercion campaign against Australian exports. This lobster …