Last Friday's decision by Chinese customs officials to change inspection procedures for Australian lobsters is yet another punitive ploy straight out of the Chinese Communist Party playbook.
This latest attack on our agricultural exports comes after similar actions were taken earlier in the year.
In May, 80 per cent tariffs were imposed on Australian barley due to alleged dumping.
In August, investigations into dumping were announced on Australian wine.
Our lobster may be next.
Is Australia dumping its goods?
Of course not. The real reason for these 'investigations' is to disguise China's aggressive and concerted push for power - in this instance, using economic coercion.
Our farmers have become pawns in a much bigger game.
It's no coincidence that tariffs were imposed on barley one month after Australia led a global push to investigate the origins of COVID-19.
Nor is it a coincidence that China launched an anti-dumping investigation into Australian wine less than a month after Australia joined the US and Japan in joint naval exercises in the Philippine Sea.
Even now, we are meant to believe that Australian lobsters must suddenly be subject to new clearance procedures.
Interestingly, this comes less than two weeks after the Australian navy was invited to take part in joint naval exercises with India, Japan and the US - the first of their kind in 13 years.
Australian farmers have benefited enormously from Chinese demand for our agricultural products, with about one third of our agricultural exports now sold in China.
But the increasingly unpredictable and unilateral behaviour of our Chinese counterparts highlights an uncomfortable over-reliance on not just a single market, but on one of the largest and most powerful in the world.
For those thinking this is a distant concern - think again.
The Andrews Labor Government arrogantly dived into foreign policy in 2018 by signing Victoria up to the controversial Belt and Road Initiative.
If having our exports dependent on a single market wasn't enough, this agreement would go even further by making the entire Victorian economy beholden to Beijing.
Victorian farmers deserve support from the state government to ensure their goods are exported to buyers who will both respect international trade obligations and act in good faith.
This is why the Liberal Nationals have proposed a bold and immediate action plan to safeguard our agricultural sector.
The 'Back to Work and Back in Business' plan will expand outbound trade opportunities to partners in South East Asia, India and Africa, as well as ensuring our farmers get the best representation in current and future trade negotiations (such as the UK Free Trade Agreement).
The plan also commits to diversifying our import base to ensure we are not dependent on any single country for more than 15 per cent of our imports.
If we don't take proactive measures to diversify our vital agricultural sector, then we run a risk of being at the mercy of a single market that takes unpredictable and punitive actions - and continuously violates international trade obligations to achieve its political ends.
If we do not act, what will be next?
