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Sky News AU
4 days ago
- Business
- Sky News AU
Australia's strategic naivety must end and Albanese's six-day festival of flattery in China shows why
Whatever the failings of China's Communist government, its ability to roll out red carpets to foreign dignitaries is second to none. Mr Albanese got the full treatment this week, beginning with the motorcade from the airport, light poles adorned with the Australian flag, a private tour of the Great Wall, a lavish banquet, serenades of Australian rock anthems, glowing coverage in the state press, and countless other choreographed gestures to make him feel honoured. When China turns on the charm for foreign leaders, the recipients would be wise to maintain a healthy degree of scepticism. What appears to be gracious hospitality is in fact a carefully orchestrated performance, an exercise in image control for both domestic and global audiences. This is not just diplomacy - it is a ritualised assertion of symbolic superiority rooted in China's imperial past. To resist the choreography is to risk awkwardness, tension, or even diplomatic reprisal. What seems like an over-elaborate show of politeness is, in truth, a system of soft coercion. It is a stage upon which foreign leaders are cast in subordinate roles, encouraged to reciprocate not only with courtesy but with political restraint. It is both a performance and a test: imperious in tone, strategic in purpose and deeply psychological in effect. Let us hope the Prime Minister received a full and frank briefing from officials at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade before embarking on this six-day charm offensive. Let us hope, too, that he kept a cool head and did not mince his words behind closed doors. Maintaining a functional relationship with Beijing is a legitimate objective. But it must not come at the expense of Australia's vital national interests: the strength of the US alliance, support for Taiwan's democratic sovereignty and the security of our critical infrastructure. The timing of the trip was less than ideal. Accepting six days of Chinese hospitality ahead of a meeting with the leader of our closest ally sent mixed signals. Beijing's red-carpet rollout was an opportunistic move, aimed at exploiting the perceived awkwardness between the ANZUS partners. A more seasoned leader might have postponed the visit for a more auspicious moment. China's propaganda machine wasted no time. State media warned against "third-party interference" that could derail Australia's improving relationship with China - a thinly veiled swipe at the US. In an editorial reproduced in other Chinese media, the 'China Daily' gushed that 'today's China-Australia relationship is like a plane flying in the 'stratosphere' after passing through the storm zone'. Faced with this media wall of self-congratulation, the Prime Minister's task was to hold the line. He needed to explain, firmly and politely, why the relationship is not as cosy as Beijing wishes to portray. The unannounced dispatch of Chinese gunboats to conduct live-fire exercises off the Australian coast with Australia's exclusive economic zone is not the behaviour of a friendly nation. We know the Prime Minister raised the issue and that President Xi Jinping told him that China would engage in exercises just as Australia does. In other words, get used to it. Equally, it was incumbent upon the PM to reassert Australia's sovereign right to revisit the 2014 lease of the Port of Darwin to Landbridge Group. What appeared at the time to be a straightforward commercial transaction now looks like a concession of breathtaking naivety. Landbridge is no ordinary private investor. Its chairman is a member of a high-level Communist Party advisory body. The company has an internal CCP committee, a "people's armed militia" linked to the PLA, and a structure that offers little insulation from state influence. That such an entity holds the keys to a critical infrastructure node less than 25 kilometres from a US military facility would today be dismissed out of hand. To its credit, the Morrison government recognised the shifting strategic environment. It called for an inquiry into the origins of Covid-19, barred Huawei from Australia's 5G network, and enacted laws enabling Canberra to review and cancel foreign investments that threaten national interests. The Darwin lease may have escaped scrutiny, but future projects should not. What Australia needs now is a policy of clarity. The Darwin lease cannot be allowed to stand while China continues to act with strategic belligerence, attempting to secure dominance in the Pacific. Australia must be prepared to act decisively: by developing redundant military infrastructure or revoking the lease outright in the national interest. China respects strength and exploits ambiguity. To vacillate now is to invite pressure later. Our policy must evolve with the times. Strategic naivety can no longer be tolerated. Which brings us to Taiwan. The Prime Minister's insistence that sensitive topics be kept behind closed doors is problematic in the face of potential misrepresentation. Chinese state media claimed Albanese assured President Xi that Australia does not support Taiwanese independence. If accurate, this would be a grievous distortion of Australian policy. Australia's ambiguity on Taiwan stems from the December 1972 communiqué signed by Gough Whitlam, which recognised the PRC as the sole legal government of China, acknowledged Beijing's claim over Taiwan, and closed our embassy in Taipei. It contained no reciprocal commitments and no statement of Australia's independent view. By contrast, when President Nixon established ties with China earlier that year, the US acknowledged Beijing's position but also insisted on a peaceful resolution of the Taiwan question. The difference between acknowledgement and acquiescence mattered then and matters even more today. That foundational ambiguity has persisted for five decades, feeding a dangerous cycle of strategic vagueness. In the 1970s, this may have seemed inconsequential: China was a marginal trading partner, Taiwan an autocratic backwater. But the world has changed. Taiwan is now a thriving democracy, a technological powerhouse, and a key player in global supply chains. China, meanwhile, has grown more authoritarian and assertive. A forcible annexation of Taiwan would shatter regional stability, weaken the US alliance system, and threaten Australia's own security. The shift towards more cautious engagement with Beijing that began under Morrison must now be completed. That requires speaking plainly. Taiwan's future must not be decided by force. Australia, alongside its allies, must be prepared to resist any effort to alter the status quo through coercion. Prime Minister Albanese's visit offered an opportunity to deliver that message. Let us hope that he took it, rather than allowing it to be subsumed by a six-day festival of flattery. Nick Cater is a senior fellow at the Menzies Research Centre and a regular contributor to Sky News Australia
Perth Now
16-07-2025
- Business
- Perth Now
What Chinese propaganda says about Albo
Anthony Albanese's visit to China has gone down well with the country's state media, offering insight into Beijing's true feelings about the future of its relationship with Canberra. The Global Times is a leading English-language propaganda mouthpiece for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Doing its best to imitate a Western-style publication, it is often used to circulate the CCP's various pet peeves and routinely takes scathing shots at Australia. But the Chinese government tabloid had only good things to say after the Prime Minister's meet with Xi Jinping and other party top brass. Anthony Albanese and Xi Jinping met in Beijing on Tuesday. Sky News Credit: NewsWire An 'opinion' piece published on Wednesday said the meetings 'set the tone for steady progress in bilateral ties while keeping external disruptions at bay' — a swipe at the US. 'The turnaround in China-Australia relations reflects the genuine expectations of both peoples,' the unattributed piece said. 'It also demonstrates that China and Australia are opportunities for each other's development – and highlights the strong appeal of China's vast market, the resilience of its economic growth, and the certainty of its continued commitment to opening up.' It acknowledged but glossed over sore spots in the relationship, such as the Port of Darwin. Mr Albanese vowed during the election to break the 99-year lease to Chinese logistics giant Landbridge Holdings. Mr Albanese's China visit has gone down well with the nation's state media. Sky News Credit: NewsWire The Global Times previously described the pledge as a 'drastic step' and 'ethically questionable'. Mr Albanese also said after meeting Mr Xi that the Chinese leader did not raise the port, suggesting it may have dropped off Beijing's top-tier grievances. 'Of course, compared with the 'minefields' status described by the Global Times editorial three years ago, today's China-Australia relationship is like a plane flying in the 'stratosphere' after passing through the storm zone, and the most turbulent and bumpy period has passed,' the opinion piece said. The Chinese have waged a charm offensive on Mr Albanese's six-day trip, with officials and business leaders wooing him in the glitz of central Shanghai before his high-level talks in Beijing. He has in turn spruiked Australia's trade and tourism offerings. Though, despite best efforts on both sides to keep things positive, chasmic differences remain. Against a backdrop of China's rapid military build-up, Mr Albanese has kept firmly to his mantra of co-operating where 'we can' and disagreeing where 'we must'.
AllAfrica
15-07-2025
- Business
- AllAfrica
Xi: Ready to push China-Australia relationship further
President Xi Jinping told Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in their meeting in Beijing on Tuesday that China stands ready to work with Australia 'to push the bilateral relationship further.' During the meeting, Albanese raised Australia's concern about China's lack of proper notice about its warships' live fire exercise early this year. The prime minister later told journalists Xi had responded that 'China engaged in exercises, just as Australia engages in exercises.' The government's proposed sale of the lease of the Port of Darwin, now in the hands of a Chinese company, was not raised in the discussion. On Taiwan, Albanese said he had 'reaffirmed … the position of Australia in support for the status quo.' This was the fourth meeting between Xi and Albanese. The prime minister is on a six-day trip to China, accompanied by a business delegation. He is emphasising expanding trade opportunities with our biggest trading partner and attracting more Chinese tourists, whose numbers are not back to pre-pandemic levels. Albanese has come under some domestic criticism because this trip comes before he has been able to secure a meeting with United States President Donald Trump. In his opening remarks, while the media were present, Xi said the China-Australia relationship had risen 'from the setback and turned around, bringing tangible benefits to the Chinese and Australian peoples.' 'The most important thing we can learn from this is that a commitment to equal treatment, to seeking common ground while sharing differences, pursuing mutually beneficial cooperation, serves the fundamental interests of our two countries and two peoples. 'No matter how the international landscape may evolve, we should uphold this overall direction unswervingly,' he said. 'The Chinese side is ready to work with the Australian side to push the bilateral relationship further and make greater progress so as to bring better benefits to our two peoples.' Responding, Albanese noted Xi's comments 'about seeking common ground while sharing differences. That approach has indeed produced very positive benefits for both Australia and for China. 'The Australian government welcomes progress on cooperation under the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement, which has its 10th anniversary year. As a direct result, trade is now flowing freely to the benefit of both countries and to people and businesses on both sides, and Australia will remain a strong supporter of free and fair trade.' Albanese told the media after the meeting his government's approach to the relationship was 'patient, calibrated and deliberate.' Given that one out of four Australian jobs depends on trade and given that China is overwhelmingly by far the largest trading partner that Australia has, it is very much in the interest of Australian jobs, and the Australian economy, to have a positive and constructive relationship with China. Dialogue is how we advance our interests, how we manage our differences, and we guard against misunderstanding. President Xi Jinping and I agreed dialogue must be at the centre of our relationship. We also discussed our economic relationship, which is critical to Australia. We spoke about the potential for new engagement in areas such as decarbonization. Xi did not bring up China's complaints about Australia's foreign investment regime. Albanese said he raised the issue of Australian writer Yang Jun, who is incarcerated on allegations of espionage, which are denied. Premier Li Qiang was hosting a banquet for Albanese on Tuesday night. An editorial in the state-owned China Daily praised the Albanese visit, saying it showed 'the Australian side has a clearer judgement and understanding of China than it had under previous Scott Morrison government.' 'The current momentum in the development of bilateral relations between China and Australia shows that if differences are well managed, the steady development of ties can be guaranteed , even at a time when the political landscape of the world is becoming increasingly uncertain and volatile,' the editorial said. Australian journalists had a brush with Chinese security, when they were taking shots of local sights in Beijing. Security guards surrounded them and told them to hand over their footage. The incident was resolved by Australian officials. Michelle Grattan is a professorial fellow, University of Canberra. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Miami Herald
15-07-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Australian PM Albanese meets Chinese President Xi in Beijing
July 15 (UPI) -- Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met with Chinese President Xi Jinping Tuesday in Beijing as part of a nearly week-long trip intended to strengthen ties between the two nations. "Australia's relationship with China is important," said Albanese in an X post Tuesday. "For our economy, our security, and the stability of our region." In a joint press conference, President Xi said Tuesday that "with joint efforts from both sides, the China-Australia relationship has rose from the setback and turned around, bringing tangible benefits to the Chinese and Australian peoples." Xi was not specific about what that "setback" was, as the two nations have had strained moments over the past several years, such as issues related to the Chinese company that operates Australia's Port of Darwin, trade sanctions levied against Canberra starting in 2020 and a live fire exercise held by the Chinese navy off Australia's east coast earlier this year, among others. "The Chinese side is ready to work with the Australian side to push the bilateral relationship further and make greater progress so as to bring better benefits to our two peoples," said Xi before ceding the floor to Albanese. "Australia values our relationship with China and will continue to approach it in a calm and consistent manner, guided by our national interest, which we regard very much as the relationship being positive, which is just that," Albanese said. "It is in our national interest, and indeed in the interest of the region as well." He also took part in a CEO roundtable Tuesday, which focused on developing business relationships and growth opportunities. "Free and open trade is good for both the Australian and Chinese economies, businesses and people," said Albanese in another X post Tuesday. Albanese, along with a delegation of Australian businesspeople, first arrived in Shanghai on Saturday to firm a variety of ways the two countries can economically help each other. "One in four of Australian jobs is dependent upon our exports and overwhelmingly by far the largest destination for Australian exports is right here in China," he said Sunday. Albanese is next slated to visit the city of Chengdu on Wednesday to focus on ties between Australia and China in regard to sports and medical technology and will also pay a visit to the Great Wall. Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
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First Post
15-07-2025
- Business
- First Post
Albanese, Xi meet in Beijing to boost China-Australia cooperation amid strategic tensions
Albanese's visit to China comes as Beijing seeks to capitalise on US President Donald Trump's sweeping trade tariffs by portraying itself as a steady and dependable partner read more Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, right, talks to China's President Xi Jinping, second left, in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China. AP Despite strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific region, China and Australia will maintain open discussion and seek areas of collaboration, according to Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Tuesday. Albanese's state visit to China is his second since being elected prime minister in 2022. Australia, like many other Asian-Pacific countries, is stuck between China and the US. Its economy relies mainly on exports to China, particularly iron ore for the steel sector. However, it shares America's concerns about China's human rights record and its increasing military presence in the Pacific, notably in areas near Australia. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD China was eager to 'promote further development in the China-Australia relationship,' Xi stated at the outset of the meeting. Albanese's visit to China comes as Beijing seeks to capitalise on US President Donald Trump's sweeping trade tariffs by portraying itself as a steady and dependable partner. Australia's commercial relationship with China was distinct from Canberra's handling of US tariffs, Albanese told reporters following a lunch with Xi at the Great Hall of the People. Albanese stated that a decade-old free trade deal with China, Australia's largest trading partner, will be examined, and the two presidents agreed to possible new collaboration on decarbonisation. Albanese stated that he addressed Australia's worries about the Chinese navy's conduct of short notice live fire drills in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand in February. Xi answered that China 'engages in exercises in the same way that Australia does,' Albanese told reporters. 'We have strategic competition in the region but we continue to engage in order to support peace and security in the region and stability in the region,' according to him. According to Chinese state media source Xinhua, Xi underlined at the meeting that China and Australia should continue to strengthen strategic mutual confidence, establish a favourable economic environment for both sides, and 'safeguard multilateralism and free trade' in the face of a complex global landscape. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Dialogue needs to be at the centre of our relationship,' Albanese stated in his opening words to Xi. Albanese is set to meet with Chinese Premier Li Qiang later on Tuesday. Under Albanese, Australia, which sees the United States as its primary security friend, has followed a 'cooperate where we can, disagree where we must' China policy. In the run-up to the visit, China signalled repeatedly it was open to deeper cooperation. On Tuesday, the state-owned China Daily newspaper published a glowing opinion piece about the visit and said it showed countries with different political systems could still cooperate. However, any cooperation is likely to be constrained by long-standing Australian concerns around China's military build-up. Albanese said he had raised the case of jailed Australian writer Yang Hengjun with Xi. Beijing has previously criticised Canberra's increased screening of foreign investment in critical minerals and Albanese's pledge to return a Chinese-leased port to Australian ownership. Australia's exports to China span agriculture and energy but are dominated by iron ore, and Albanese has travelled with executives from mining giants Rio Tinto, BHP, and Fortescue, who met Chinese steel industry officials on Monday, at the start of the six-day visit. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Albanese is in Beijing at the midpoint of a weeklong trip to China that started in Shanghai, China's commercial capital, where government and business leaders from the two countries discussed deepening cooperation in tourism and reducing carbon emissions in iron ore mining and steel production. From Beijing, he will travel to Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, where he said he would focus on growing ties in medical technology and sports.
