Australia should not sabotage its own efforts to boost ties with China
The visit achieved much in some areas, but otherwise made little progress.
Despite
reported efforts by Elbridge Colby, US undersecretary of defence for policy, to seemingly sabotage the visit, Albanese deftly refused to allow questions about Taiwan to divert him from his mission of reaffirming the improvement of Australia-China relations.
But if Albanese was trying to convince Chinese investors that Australia is a reliable place to invest in, he sabotaged himself. This is best summed up by the Australian Financial Review headline 'PM stares down China retaliation threat over Darwin Port sale'.
The Albanese government is
moving to overturn the China-based company Landbridge Group's 99-year lease on the port of Darwin just a decade into the lease period. It would be difficult to find a better and more pertinent example of Australia's limited reliability when it comes to long-term investment from China.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
43 minutes ago
- South China Morning Post
South Africa pushes to increase trade exports to China amid US' 30% tariff hike
Facing a US tariff of 30 per cent from August 1, South Africa is intensifying efforts to significantly grow its exports to China and address a persistent trade imbalance. Advertisement A high-level delegation, led by Deputy President Paul Mashatile, has been on a week-long visit to Beijing, seeking investments and pitching strategic opportunities to diversify the nation's export basket beyond basic commodities towards higher-value products such as pharmaceuticals, automotive goods and green energy technologies In a speech at the South Africa China Investment Forum, held on the sidelines of the third China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE) in Beijing earlier this week, Mashatile said South Africa's trade deficit with China had risen from less than US$1 billion (7.2 billion yuan) annually between 1988 and 2000 to US$9.71 billion (69.7 billion yuan) by 2023. 'We need to address challenges such as access to the Chinese market due to factors like tariff and non-tariff barriers, distance and competition from other countries,' he said. South Africa is seeing a growing trade deficit that heavily favours China, and Mashatile explained that tackling these challenges required expanding South Africa's export portfolio, encouraging value-added exports and establishing a more balanced trade relationship. Advertisement
South China Morning Post
an hour ago
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong officials to discuss adjusting basketball betting limits with Jockey Club
Hong Kong authorities are planning to engage the Jockey Club for discussions on adjusting the maximum betting limits for basketball to provide a regulated channel for such activities, as the government moves to legalise wagering for the sport. Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak Mei-kuen said on Saturday that lawmakers previously suggested the government review the maximum wagers for basketball as they scrutinised the Betting Duty (Amendment) Bill 2025. She said the Jockey Club, which is set to become the sole licensed basketball betting operator, currently had limited wagers for legal offerings for other sports. Horse racing and football bets are capped at HK$50,000 (US$6,370) per individual wager. Each betting account has a daily total stake limit of HK$500,000. 'The bill provides a legal framework under which the home and youth affairs chief is empowered to issue licences for betting activities. When these licences are issued, licensing conditions can be included,' she told a radio programme. 'We will later discuss with the Jockey Club to assess the technical feasibility and how to handle it so that we can provide a regulated and limited channel for betting, and the public will engage in controlled gambling.'
South China Morning Post
2 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Africa looks to China as ‘beneficial partner' while US imposes tariffs, aid and visa cuts
The United States is losing ground to China for influence in Africa , according to analysts, as Beijing's expansive trade policies and economic engagement outpace Washington's increasingly restrictive approach. Advertisement The assessment came after China announced last month it would expand duty-free access for all taxable products for 53 African countries – all except Eswatini. Beijing's move stands in stark contrast to Washington's levying of trade tariffs, aid cuts and restrictive visa measures. The policy comes amid US threats to cut foreign aid by closing down USAID and imposing visa restrictions on countries including Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria and Somalia. From August 1, the US also plans to impose higher reciprocal tariffs on imports from nations such as Algeria, Libya, South Africa and Tunisia. Observers said the duty-free plan was a major narrative win for China. The move is likely to further endear Beijing to African nations, which are increasingly viewing China as a more reliable and beneficial partner. Cameron Hudson, a former US official and senior associate with the Africa programme at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said what was more troubling was that Washington had long believed its aid and humanitarian help to Africa would buy it the goodwill to be able to pursue whatever policies it wanted, no matter the consequences. Advertisement But this had not been the case for a long time, he noted.
