Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Steven Ciobo used confirmation of 2017 being Australia's biggest year for trade, to warn against establishing trade barriers. He pointed out that Australia’s market-opening agenda would focus on fighting protectionism, and opening markets to create new opportunities that drive economic growth.

According to a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) report released on Friday, the total value of Australian exports in 2017 grew nearly 15 percent to more than 380 billion Australian dollars. China remained Australia's biggest trade partner with two-way trade up 16 percent to nearly 184 billion Australian dollars.