China has black-listed Australian coal, according to state-owned media, in a crushing new blow in the worsening trade war.

The Morrison Government is now urging Chinese authorities to immediately rule out the coal import ban.

Chinese state-owned media reported on Sunday Australia had been “shut out” of a new coal policy that gave power plants approval to import coal without customs restrictions from every country but ours.

The exports were reportedly black-listed at a high-powered meeting between National Development Reform and Commission and Chinese power companies on Saturday.

The Global Times reported the new policy was designed to stabilise coal prices.

The government mouthpiece also published an opinion piece blasting Australia as an “anti-China pioneer” with a “sense of anxiety” about being invaded.

“Due to its high degree of dependency on the US for security and the growing concern about the rise of China in the region, Canberra is very worried that Washington’s strategic contraction will aggravate risks of it being abandoned by Uncle Sam,” the op-ed read.

More than 50 vessels containing hundreds of millions of dollars worth of Australian coal were stuck anchored off Chinese ports last month as trade tensions continued between the two partners.

This followed Chinese officials issuing verbal warnings in October to companies to halt buying thermal coal from Australia.