Coalition accuses PM of making 'excuses' for China as visit ends
A group of journalists followed the prime minister as he toured the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Chengdu on the last leg of his trip to China.
Mr Albanese paid a visit to Fu Ni, one of the two beloved giant pandas based in Adelaide Zoo for more than a decade before China sent two new pandas over in January this year.
Mr Albanese called her "a great ambassador for China, and a great friend of Australia", spending about an hour touring the centre, one of a web of Chinese institutions working to build back the population of the iconic species.
But the Coalition has started to ramp up criticism of the prime minister's trip, suggesting he hasn't secured enough concrete outcomes for Australia, and that he should pour more effort into Australia's alliance with the United States.
Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister Michaelia Cash said it was time for Mr Albanese to focus on securing a meeting with US President Donald Trump, and strike a deal to stop US tariffs from hitting the Australian economy.
"Where is our trade deal with the United States?" she said on Sky News.
"Mr Albanese, you've had your six-day extended visit with our greatest trading partner, you now need to prioritise the relationship, the bedrock of our security, with the leader of the free world, the United States of America.
Mr Albanese told journalists he raised Australia's concerns about China's decision to hold live-firing naval drills in the Tasman Sea earlier this year without giving any meaningful notice — although he indicated President Xi Jinping brushed those concerns aside.
But both he and the Defence Minister Richard Marles have also said China had the right to navigate through those waters under international law.
Senator Cash said Mr Albanese needed to make Australia's position "crystal clear" to China.
"Despite of all what's happened in the China trip, the great publicity that Mr Albanese has received, he has not been able to get assurances from the President Xi Jinping of China, in relation to those issues," she said.
"It is not for Mr Marles and Mr Albanese to make excuses for the Chinese Communist Party. They are there to ensure Australia's views are heard and respected."
Coalition frontbencher James Paterson said that the prime minister's six-day visit and his trip to the Great Wall on Wednesday was starting to look "a little bit indulgent" and that China's response on the live-fire drills was "troubling".
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
SBS Australia
37 minutes ago
- SBS Australia
'We're not alone': People in Gaza are reacting to 'best march' on Harbour Bridge
As tens of thousands of Australians crossed Sydney's Harbour Bridge on Sunday as part of a pro-Palestinian protest, locals in the war-torn region were watching. Some wrote messages of praise on social media, while others shared photos of children holding up posters expressing their gratitude for the support. Mohammed Hamad, who lives in Gaza, shared a photo of his daughter holding a thank-you sign. "We know what is happening outside and we are following everything. The best march I have seen is the bridge march," he told SBS News. Mohammed Hamad and his daughter Hira saw the Sydney Harbour Bridge protest from Gaza. Credit: X/ Mohammed Hamad NSW Police said initial estimates put the crowd at 90,000 while rally organisers, the Palestine Action Group, estimated the figure was closer to 300,000. 'We are not alone' Tamer Nahed, a web developer from north Gaza, wrote on social media that witnessing the "massive protest" gave his parents a sense of hope. "I showed them the massive protests that took place in Sydney. I told them, there are still people who care about us. We are not alone," he wrote on X. "We watched together as people stood in the rain, in this cold weather, chanting for us — for justice, for truth. And in my parents' eyes, I saw something that had been missing for a long time … I saw hope return, even if just a little." Nahed expressed his gratitude towards the protesters, writing that he often feels forgotten by the world when watching the news. "Thank you to everyone who marched today, to everyone who raised their voice for us. You didn't do it in vain. You gave us something that words can't fully capture," he wrote. More protests ahead, organisers say One of the organisers told reporters more protests are being planned, but that a repeat crossing of the Sydney Harbour Bridge won't happen anytime soon, according to the Australian Associated Press. Palestine Action Group's organiser Joshua Lees said on Sunday: "We want to build on this massive momentum we have now." "His stance is pretty clear and he's passed a raft of anti-protest legislation already," Lees said. "We're going to have to keep fighting for our rights to demonstrate." Speaking to ABC radio on Tuesday morning, Minns said he accepted the reason for the protest, but that "common sense has to play a role". "I'm not questioning the motives of many of the protesters. I accept that this is a protest that many people want to have," he said. "My argument here is I can't close down the central artery for a city as big as Sydney — even on a short-term basis, but even if we had a massive heads up to do it." 'An extraordinary march' Speaking about the protest, Foreign Minister Penny Wong acknowledged the anger and distress felt by some Australians. "That was an extraordinary march and I think it demonstrates what we all feel," she told the ABC's 7.30 program. "I know that Australians are feeling distressed, angry, upset, really horrified by what they're seeing in Gaza. I certainly share that distress. So do ministers in the government." The Palestine Action Group said it is planning a national day of action scheduled for 24 August, along with more protests.
Sky News AU
an hour ago
- Sky News AU
‘Fantasy': Coalition struggles on net zero policy as rest of world ‘abandons' it
The Australian's Foreign Editor Greg Sheridan discusses the net-zero debate taking place within the Coalition. 'Net zero is just a fantasy, it's just not reality, and of course, you say that in Australia and you get dismissed,' Mr Sheridan told Sky News Australia. 'Global carbon emissions have gone up quite radically between 2020 and 2023. 'All centre-right parties around the English-speaking world have abandoned net zero by 2050 as a hard target.
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Labor government to increase international student cap by 25,000 for 2026 academic year
Australia will lift the number of foreign students allowed to study in the 2026 academic year to 295,000, in a bid to safeguard the 'incredibly important export industry'. The figure is 25,000 higher than the number allowed by Education Minister Jason Clare for the 2025 academic year, but is still 8 per cent lower than the influx of international students after borders opened post-pandemic. It will also not account for students at TAFE or those who enrol in a public-funded university but previously attended an Australian high school. Universities will be able to request an increase to their 2025 allocations, but they must be able to show an increased engagement with Southeast Asia - as part of Australia's Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040 - and that they have enough student accommodation to cater to both domestic and international students. The largest proportion of students from overseas were from China (23 per cent), India (17 per cent) and Nepal (8 per cent). Mr Clare said international education - worth $51bn to the Australian economy in 2023-24 and employing more than 250,000 workers - was an 'incredibly important export industry', but needed to be sustainably managed. 'International education doesn't just make us money - it makes us friends,' he said. 'This is about making sure international education grows in a way that supports students, universities and the national interest.' Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the government's priority was ensuring the international education sector maintained the 'integrity of the migration system'. 'We are making sure student visa processing supports genuine education outcomes and our strategic priorities – including increasing provision of student accommodation,' he said. 'This is about backing providers who do the right things and giving them the certainty they need to grow sustainably.' Skills and Training Minister Andrew Giles also welcomed the exclusion of TAFE from the cap, saying it would allow the international VET sector to grow sustainably and better meet skills needs. 'The diverse nationalities of international VET students present an opportunity to strengthen our international partnerships,' he said. 'From today, VET providers can plan recruitment with confidence for 2026, knowing they will continue to enjoy equitable access to student visa processing.'
