Scott Morrison says China would breach WTO rules if it bans Australian coal

Australia’s prime minister said Tuesday that China would be violating World Trade Organization rules and a bilateral free trade agreement if it banned Australian coal.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison was replying to a report in China’s state-owned Global Times newspaper that said Beijing’s main planning agency had given power plants approval to import coal without restrictions, except for Australian coal.

Morrison said he was treating the report as “media speculation” because the Chinese government had yet to clarify its position.