Coalition boasts of tough line on China but documents reveal private fears on trade

But it later agreed to release 28 documents, produced between January and September 2021, after a successful request for an internal review of the FoI decision.

Jo Clarke, an associate editor for Argus, a global commodity and energy publication, said the vast majority of ships that were waiting outside Chinese ports were diverted to alternate non-Chinese ports.

She said a few of the ships were allowed to discharge Australian coal on humanitarian grounds so that the crews could return home.

The latest figures suggest Australia exported no thermal coal to China in 2021, compared with 35m tonnes in 2020 and 50m tonnes in 2019. The shortfall was offset by increases in shipments to India, Japan and South Korea.