据2014年11月7日澳大利亚ABC News报道：中澳签订这项突破性协议后，每年将有价值10亿的100万头牛从澳洲出口到中国。
该协议最终结果还有待官方正式宣布，但澳大利亚广播公司了解到中澳双方都已同意增加活牛贸易。
“这是一项有关100万头肉牛、价值10亿的贸易，合同刚刚被签署，”政府议员Christopher Pyne说道，“这是一项重大的突破。我是指只有当政府非常注重经济成果时才能取得这种进展。”
“我们现在有了与日本、与韩国的自由贸易协定，我们也在努力争取与中国取得这样的协定。”
澳洲广播公司承认该项协议并非与更广泛的双边自由贸易谈判正式相关。
来自澳洲的媒体报导称该项肉牛出口在自由贸易协议的谈判期间被达成是一项“巧合”。
澳洲原先可能计划每年向中国出口约3万至5万头牛。
中澳之间对自由贸易协定的谈判已持续超过9年，但因为农业出口本身的复杂性一直存在而未能达成协议。
澳洲政府官员在北京表示希望能敲定协议、从而在下周中国主席赴澳参加G20期间两国可以签署该协议。澳洲农业部长BarnabyJoyce最近访问了北京、为协议谈判增加动力。
Joyce先生昨晚对澳洲广播公司称他对确定这项自由贸易交易非常乐观、但还未到宣布突破的程度。“与亚洲人交涉时应注意不要先干涉他们的决定，最好让他们来做出决定，然后你们进行庆祝就行，”他说。但他表示他对该项交易有个好结果充满了希望。“当我在中国时，他们非常清楚地对我说他们想要购买我们的软性商品，比如我们的牛、山羊、绵羊等，任何软性商品。”
此前中国已经就育种目的向澳洲购买了牛奶和奶牛，上个财年的数量达到7万8千头奶牛和约1万5千头肉牛。
（作者：Simon Cullen）
Beef deal: Australia,China close to finalising $1 billion agreement that would see 1 million cattle exported
By Simon Cullen
One million Australian cattle worth $1 billion are set to be exported to China each yearunder a breakthrough agreement being finalised between the two countries.
The outcome is yet to be formally announced, but the ABC understands both sides have agreed to the expansion of the live cattle trade.
"It's a million cattle, worth $1 billion. The ink is not dry on the contract though," Government frontbencher Christopher Pyne told Channel Nine.
"It's a great breakthrough. I mean this is the kind of thing that happens when you have a government that's focused on economic outcomes.
"So we have a free trade agreement with Japan, freetrade agreement with South Korea, working on one with China."
The ABC understands the agreement is not formally linked tobroader free trade talks between the two countries.
A government source said it was a "coincidence"the cattle deal was being finalised at the same time as those free trade agreement (FTA) discussions.
Initially, Australia was likely to export between 30,000–50,000 head of cattle a year.
China and Australia have been in FTA trade talks for more than nine years, but there have been ongoing complications over agricultural exports.
Australian officials are in Beijing, hoping to finalise the agreement so it can be signed by the two countries when the Chinese president visits Australia for the G20 meeting next week.
Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce recently visited Beijing to help give momentum to negotiations.
Speaking last night to the ABC, Mr Joyce was optimistic of securing a free trade deal, but stopped short of announcing a breakthrough.
"The tricks of dealing in Asia is you don't pre-empt their decision, you let them make it and then you celebrate it," he told Lateline.
But Mr Joyce said he was hopeful of a good outcome.
"When I was in China, they made that abundantly clear to me that they want to purchase our soft commodities, our beef, our sheep, anything, our goats."
China already buys Australian dairy and beef cows forbreeding purposes, and took more than 78,000 head of dairy cattle and about 15,000 beef cattle last financial year.
