Illustration: Tang Tengfei/GT

China has decided to suspend timber import from the state of Victoria, Australia, after pests being detected in the products. The decision, in accordance with China's relevant laws and international standards, was made based on science with an aim to ensure biosecurity, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Thursday.

Timber shipping to China from Victoria has been halted after China banned the same product from state of Queensland in late October, Reuters reported.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Thursday confirmed the ban, saying that Chinese customs recently detected pests in timbers shipped from Victoria.

"Once these pests are introduced, they will pose a serious threat to China's agricultural and forestry production and ecological security," Wang stressed.

The decision that came into effect Wednesday is based on China's relevant laws and regulations, as well as international standards, in order to prevent the risks of plant epidemic at the source, according to Wang.

China's General Administration of Customs has reported the relevant situation to Australian authority, and required an improvement in the quarantine management system for log exports to China, Wang noted.

Earlier on October 31, China halted import of timber from Queensland due to discovery of pests. Since Morrison administration has been relentlessly undermining the bilateral relations with China for a period of time, certain Aussie politicians and media started to fabricate a so-called "economic coercion" from China by politicizing isolated economic activities.

A sound and stable China-Australia relationship serves the fundamental interests of both peoples. In the meantime, mutual respect is the foundation and guarantee of practical cooperation between countries.

However, for a period of time, Canberra has repeatedly engaged in erroneous words and deeds on issues concerning China's core interests, including Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Taiwan, by flagrant violation of the basic norms governing international relations, Wang stressed.

"These moves have seriously damaged the mutual trust between the two countries, poisoned bilateral relations and hindered practical cooperation between the two sides."

The reasons behind the recent cooling down of China-Australia relations are quite clear, Wang said, "It is better for the doer to undo what he has done."