Scott Morrison warns of China's change from bullying to flattery tactic
Mr Morrison says Beijing has shifted from bullying tactics to flattery, since lifting trade sanctions, insisting its strategic aim remains the same, to dominate markets and sideline rivals.
His comments come after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his recent China visit was a constructive engagement with President Xi.
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Perth Now
2 hours ago
- Perth Now
‘Important': Albo's China jaunt defended
A senior Labor minister has hit back at the opposition for criticising Anthony Albanese's lengthy state visit to China, saying the relationship with Australia's biggest trading partner had 'broken down' on the Coalition's watch. The Prime Minister spent much of the last week touting Australia's tourism, trade and research offerings in Shanghai, Beijing and Chengdu as part of a five-day business and diplomatic blitz. But the Opposition has argued the trip did not produce any tangible outcomes, despite several agreements being signed. Attorney-General Michelle Rowland said on Sunday she found the 'criticism quite extraordinary considering that since we came to government we have removed some $20 billion of trade impediments with China'. China imposed trade restrictions during a trade war with the Morrison-Coalition government. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has met with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Prime Minister's Office / Handout / NewsWire Credit: NewsWire 'We now have in everything from wine to lobster, not to mention the fact that China is our single biggest trading partner,' Ms Rowland told Sky News. 'Our resources sector relies on that relationship.' She noted that Mr Albanese's visit was 'at the invitation … of China'. 'He went with a significant business delegation,' Ms Rowland. 'This is about creating jobs and extra trade opportunities for Australia, and it's important that we maintain this vital relationship.' The business community, represented by the Business Council of Australia (BCA), has praised the trip. The BCA was central to many of Mr Albanese's engagements in China, including high-level talks with Chinese officials and business leaders. With Mr Albanese meeting with Xi Jinping while a face-to-face with Donald Trump elusive, Ms Rowland was asked how she thought the China trip would go down in Washington. 'Our relationship with China is obviously important, as is our relationship with the United States,' she said. Chinese President Xi Jinping sat down with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Beijing. Prime Minister's Office / Handout / NewsWire Credit: NewsWire The hour-long face-to-face took place in the ornate East Hall of the Great Hall of the People. Prime Minister's Office / Handout / NewsWire Credit: NewsWire 'But here, there are different purposes. 'We will engage in the national interest wherever we can with China. 'We will always act in the national interest, and often we will disagree. 'But this is important from the perspective of our trade and of stabilising that relationship, which, quite frankly, had broken down under successive Liberal governments. 'And it's important that we have a government now that's acting in our national interest, in the interest of jobs and trade and certainty.' Ms Rowland, who sits on the National Security Committee, also downplayed concerns around the Trump administration's demand to hike Australian defence spending and its commitment to AUKUS – a $360bn submarine pact with the US and UK underpinning Canberra's defence strategy for the first half of the 21st century. While Mr Albanese was in China, the man leading the US review of AUKUS hinted Australia would need to guarantee support for the US if a conflict broke out in the Indo-Pacific over Taiwan. It came after the Financial Times reported Mr Colby asked Australia and Japan what they would do to defend the democratically self-governed island from China. Attorney-General Michelle Rowland says Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's visit to China was 'acting in the national interest'. Nikki Short / NewsWire Credit: News Corp Australia Ms Rowland said she was 'not going to engage in hypotheticals' but that the Albanese government did 'not support a unilateral change' on Taiwan. 'What I will note, in going to a related issue about defence spending, that we recognise the US has called for this of a number of its allies,' she said. 'But again, I would point out that we are spending some $10bn over the forwards and nearly $60bn over the next decade on defence spending. 'We will act always in the national interest, and we will ensure that our capabilities are up to scratch.' She refused to comment on National Security deliberations on the US' AUKUS review, but said that 'there is nothing unusual about a new administration having a review of these relationships'. 'But again, we view AUKUS as fundamental to our relationship with the United States, and we are confident in its execution,' Ms Rowland said.
Sky News AU
4 hours ago
- Sky News AU
‘Useful idiot': Anthony Albanese playing into Xi Jinping's game
Sky News host Rita Panahi slams Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for being Chinese President Xi Jinping's 'useful idiot'. Ms Panahi said China will 'hurt' Australia and its alliance with the US. 'I think when we finally get the sit down with the US and we come to an arrangement with tariffs.'
Perth Now
6 hours ago
- Perth Now
More results needed from PM's China trip: Liberals
Voters should have expected more tangible outcomes from the prime minister's trip to China, the opposition says. But a senior government minister said the six-day visit by Anthony Albanese had helped to stabilise the relationship with Australia's largest trading partner. The prime minister landed in Australia on Friday after visiting Shanghai, Beijing and Chengdu during the official visit, which included a one-on-one meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. While Mr Albanese said the visit would strengthen ties between the two countries, deputy opposition leader Ted O'Brien said the trip should have been complemented with visits to nearby Asian allies. "When you have six days in a country, I think it is fair for the Australian people to expect more from it," he told Sky News on Sunday. "By spending six days there, not going to Japan, not going to South Korea, I think it has accentuated the problem we have with an imbalanced foreign policy." But Attorney-General Michelle Rowland said criticism of the prime ministerial visit was "extraordinary", given work was needed to be done to repair ties with China after trade sanctions on Australian exports were lifted. "China is our single biggest trading partner. Our resources sector relies on that relationship," she told Sky News. "We will always act in the national interest, and often we will disagree, but this is important from the perspective of our trade and of stabilising that relationship, which, quite frankly, had broken down." China imposed an estimated $20 billion worth of trade impediments against Australian products such as wine, lobster and beef following a breakdown in ties between the two countries at the start of the COVID pandemic. Access to the Chinese market has recently opened up to large numbers of exports. "This is about creating jobs and extra trade opportunities for Australia, and it's important that we maintain this vital relationship," Ms Rowland said. Mr O'Brien said while he was not criticising the prime minister for going overseas on the foreign visit, the outcomes did not meet expectations. "We are supportive of economic diplomacy. It's absolutely key, but Australia deserves nothing less than tangible outcomes, especially when you spend a week in country," he said.
