Foreign Ministry dismisses Canberra's claim of 'economic coercion' by Beijing

China decided on Tuesday to suspend beef imports from four Australian companies due to a violation of requirements agreed to by the two countries, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Tuesday. Zhao also dismissed Australia's claim of China's "economic coercion".

"China always develops friendly cooperation with other countries based on mutual respect and equality," Zhao told reporters at a regular news conference in Beijing.

Zhao said Chinese customs has found in inspections multiple lots of imported beef products from individual Australian companies that failed to meet inspection and quarantine requirements mutually agreed upon.

The suspension was aimed to safeguard the health and safety of Chinese consumers, he said. China has notified Australian authorities about the decision and required Australia to completely investigate the problem and make corrections.