Latest news with #China-Australia
Herald Sun
7 days ago
- Business
- Herald Sun
China's chilling warning for one Aussie city
Don't miss out on the headlines from National. Followed categories will be added to My News. China has again warned Australia against plans to take back its strategic Port of Darwin, threatening the move would result in 'enduring pitfalls for the country.' 'If the Darwin Port issue is further politicised, or forcibly taken back under the pretext of so-called 'national security,' it would become another negative typical case that affects the healthy and stable development of China-Australia relations,' an anonymous editorial in the Chinese Communist Party-controlled Global Times states. The strategic economic and defence facility was leased in 2015 for $506 million to the Australian subsidiary of a privately owned Chinese company, the Landbridge Group. The 99-year deal was cemented by the then Country Liberal Northern Territory Government. The geopolitical fallout was immediate. The White House complained it had not been consulted. After all, its freshly committed US Marine presence in the Northern Territory relied on the port for support. Australia's regional neighbours raised their eyebrows: Hadn't Canberra been pressuring them to reject significant Chinese infrastructure money? Ten years later, both Labor and the Coalition went to the May 2025 Federal Election promising to take back Military facilities across the Top End are being upgraded 'to enhance the ability of the Australian Defence Force to project force,' Brigadier Matthew Quinn said at a sod-turning ceremony earlier this month. The Port of Darwin is owened by a Chinese company. Picture: ASCO 'These critical upgrades follow recent works to enhance the main runway and taxiways, improving the capacity, security and resilience of RAAF Base Darwin.' It was just one $160 million piece of a massive international defence buildup across northern Australia. The cause: China's assertive territorial ambitions. 'Taking back the Port of Darwin from Landbridge Group would also symbolise a dangerous shift from commercial cooperation to military development,' the Global Times warns. 'The move of 'de-Sinicisation' aims to remove obstacles for the US to advance its militarisation in northern Australia.' The lease of Darwin Port to China's Landbridge Group has become a contentious issue. Picture:Strategic and economic security 'It is well known that Darwin Port only became linked to so-called 'national security' and subjected to a wave of political and security scrutiny after so-called 'concerns' were voiced from Washington,' the Global Times editorial insists. All China-based and owned companies must have Communist Party Commissars on their boards. They must also readily hand over any and all information on their customers and deals to any government agency upon demand. US President Barack Obama broke the news of potential problems directly with then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull during an APEC meeting in November 2015. He asked that Washington be given a 'heads-up' over similar deals in future. Obama's cause for concern was obvious. Chairman Xi was, at the time, deeply engaged in building illegal island fortresses on sand banks claimed by Vietnam, the Philippines and Taiwan. His government was vocally asserting ownership over Japan and South Korea's islands in the East China Sea. Threats of invading Taiwan had already become commonplace. Darwin was even then a significant stepping stone for rapidly expanding US and allied military activities in northern Australia. 'As the Indo-Pacific becomes increasingly contested, supply chains become more vulnerable and coercive statecraft becomes more common,' argues Australian Strategic Policy Institute national security analyst John Coyne. 'Darwin's proximity to key maritime routes and regional partners makes it an indispensable asset.' Chinese President Xi Jinping. Picture: Florence Lo-Pool/Getty Images Follow the money The purchase of the Darwin Port was touted as part of Chairman Xi Jinping's grand 'Belt and Road' vision of a Chinese-controlled trade network spanning the Pacific, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe. The natural deep-water harbour is strategically positioned as a hub between the Indian Ocean, the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean. And about 4.5 million tonnes of cargo and significant quantities of oil and gas pass over its piers each year. In 2015, the Foreign Investment Review Board headed by then federal treasurer Scott Morrison, decided against examining the proposed deal. The Defence Department, undergoing one of many ministerial transitions, had no objections. And the then minister for trade and investment, Andrew Robb, was ecstatic. '(It is) a powerful sign of the enhanced commercial relationship between Australia and China flowing from the China-Australia free trade agreement,' Robb declared in October 2015. Robb resigned from Parliament four months later and immediately took up a position as 'advisor' to the Landbridge Group. Now, both sides of politics are firmly in agreement: Make Darwin Australian again. During the 2025 election campaign, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese promised the port would be sold to an Australian operator. This is despite reports US equity firm Cerberus Capital, which has close ties to President Donald Trump's White House administration, is preparing to make a bid. Former opposition leader Peter Dutton went further, promising his Liberal-National Coalition would nationalise the asset under government ownership. But Beijing is biting back. The Global Times warned Tuesday that 'should the Australian government take the drastic step of forcibly taking back Darwin Port', this would 'undoubtedly' produce 'enduring pitfalls for the country'. Russia's President Vladimir Putin greets Chinese President Xi Jinping. Picture: Mikhail METZEL / POOL / AFP Investor returns 'Whether the Port of Darwin becomes a hub of prosperous trade or the eye of a geopolitical storm is not a difficult choice, but it does test Canberra's strategic wisdom,' the Global Times editorial reads. The Communist Party editorial says its 2015 purchase had been 'timely assistance' to the Northern Territory at a time when Canberra 'wasn't interested'. 'From turning the port's operations from loss to profit and helping ease the Northern Territory government's debt crisis, to investing more than $A83 million and upgrading port facilities … and greatly contributing to local economic and social development, Landbridge Group's involvement has brought systematic and positive changes to Darwin Port,' it states. But concern over possible financial difficulties contributed to the port's prominence in the recent Federal Election. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese promised the port would be sold to an Australian company. Picture: NewsWire / Richard Gosling Landbridge Australia non-executive director Terry O'Connor said this week that the company had 'not yet received any offers or engagement from the (Australian) government at any level.' But he 'welcomed' comments by Beijing's envoy to Australia, Xiao Qian. Xiao issued a statement on Sunday after touring the port's operations. He insisted the lease had been purchased through 'an open and transparent bidding process, fully compliant with Australian laws and market principles'. 'It's very morally inappropriate to rent out the port when it is in the red and take it back once it is profitable,' he argues. Tuesday's Global Times editorial went one step further, warning that placing 'politics over the rule of law' sent a 'dangerous signal to global investors … especially in sectors like infrastructure and energy that require long-term investment'. NT Chief Minister Michael Gunner speaking with Landbridge Group chairman Ye Cheng. Picture: Lauren Roberts 'The operation of Darwin Port is, at its core, a market-driven economic project and should operate within the framework of the rule of law and market principles,' it adds. But the world economic and security order has been upended since 2015, with Chairman Xi securing an unconstitutional third term and US President Trump vigorously pursuing an 'America First' agenda in the opening months of his second term. 'Darwin's development has long been framed as a national opportunity. It is now a strategic obligation,' Coyne argues. 'Australia cannot afford to leave its north underdone or underutilised. 'A sovereign, commercially viable, and strategically aligned marine industry in Darwin is no longer aspirational.' Jamie Seidel is a freelance writer | @ Originally published as 'Enduring pitfalls': China's chilling warning over controversial Darwin Port deal
AU Financial Review
14-05-2025
- Politics
- AU Financial Review
Xi Jinping congratulates Albanese, urges closer ties
Tokyo | Chinese President Xi Jinping has congratulated Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on his re-election, calling for deeper cooperation between the two countries and invoking a shared commitment to 'world peace and stability', in a sign Beijing is looking to consolidate warmer ties with Canberra. In a statement released by Chinese state media, Xi said he was prepared to 'advance the China-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership in a steady fashion'. The message coincided with this week's formal cabinet swearing-in ceremony, marking the beginning of Albanese's second term in office.
Hamilton Spectator
02-05-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Peter Dutton, a former police detective who's hawkish on China, is leading Australia's conservatives
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia's conservative opposition leader Peter Dutton is a former police detective who gained a reputation during his years in government for his tough stance on border security and as a vocal critic of China. If he becomes prime minister at general elections on Saturday, it will be the first time since 1931 — amid the economic turmoil of the Great Depression — that an Australian government has been ousted after a single three-year term. A major factor in his success or failure is likely to be his pledge to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 with nuclear power instead of the government's reliance on renewable energy sources. His Liberal Party was been remarkably united behind him since he became their leader after their government was defeated at elections in 2022. During his party's three years out of power, Dutton has evolved into a less confrontational and more responsive political leader, said Monash University political expert Zareh Ghazarian. 'He presented himself as a tough leader. But the more he's spent time in opposition, the more he has built his leadership repertoire,' Ghazarian said. Dutton has signaled that his international priorities would differ from those of recent prime ministers if his party wins elections. Australian prime ministers are expected to make their first overseas trips to Asia, usually heading to Indonesia to underscore the importance of that bilateral relationship with a near neighbor; Dutton has said he plans to go first to the United States to meet President Donald Trump and secure preferential trade terms. 'I do believe that if there's a change of government, I will be able to work with the Trump administration mark 2 to get better outcomes for Australians,' Dutton told the Lowy Institute international policy think tank in Sydney in March. Conflict with China Dutton received a rebuke from Beijing in 2019 when he accused the Chinese Communist Party of directing cyberattacks, stealing intellectual property and suppressing free speech. 'We categorically reject Mr. Dutton's irrational accusations against China, which are shocking and baseless,' the Chinese Embassy in Australia said in a statement. China-Australia relations have improved since current Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's government was elected in 2022. China has lifted a series of official and unofficial trade barriers that cost Australian exporters 20 billion Australian dollars ($13 billion) a year in the final years of the previous conservative government. Beijing also lifted a ban on minister-to-minister contacts. 'We will cooperate where we can, disagree where we must and engage in the national interest,' Albanese often says of his administration's relationship with Beijing. But Dutton says he would improve Australia's relations with Beijing even further with a tough and uncompromising approach. 'I don't believe that President Xi (Jinping) with the strength of his leadership respects a weak and incompetent Australian prime minister,' Dutton said. Dutton has accused Albanese of 'self-censorship' in dealing with China. He described Albanese's reaction to three Chinese warships virtually circumnavigating Australia in February in a show of China's military reach as the 'weakest, most limp-wristed response you could see from a leader.' Australia complained the Chinese gave insufficient notice of live-fire exercises off the Australian coast that forced commercial airline flights between Sydney and New Zealand to divert. Beijing responded that Australia had made 'unreasonable accusations' and said the naval exercise had complied with international law. Record in government Dutton, 54, belongs to the most conservative faction of his conservative Liberal Party. Since he was first elected to the Federal Parliament in 2001, he has held several ministerial roles including the key security portfolios of defense and home affairs, in which he established a public image as an uncompromising and confrontational politician. As minister for immigration and border protection from 2014, Dutton oversaw Operation Sovereign Borders , a military-run blockade of Australia's northern ocean approaches that largely ended the trafficking of asylum-seekers by people smugglers in dilapidated fishing boats. Australia has been accused of shirking its obligation to resettle such refugees by sending boat arrivals to Australian-funded immigration camps on the poor island nations of Papua New Guinea and Nauru. Dutton has said his political outlook is shaped by almost a decade working in the Queensland state police force, which he joined at 19. He worked in the drug and sexual crime squads. 'I think it's a bit of a police trait and it's dealing with a problem that's before you and then moving on to the next one and trying to deal with it efficiently,' Dutton told a TV profile in 2023.
San Francisco Chronicle
02-05-2025
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
Peter Dutton, a former police detective who's hawkish on China, is leading Australia's conservatives
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia's conservative opposition leader Peter Dutton is a former police detective who gained a reputation during his years in government for his tough stance on border security and as a vocal critic of China. If he becomes prime minister at general elections on Saturday, it will be the first time since 1931 — amid the economic turmoil of the Great Depression — that an Australian government has been ousted after a single three-year term. A major factor in his success or failure is likely to be his pledge to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 with nuclear power instead of the government's reliance on renewable energy sources. His Liberal Party was been remarkably united behind him since he became their leader after their government was defeated at elections in 2022. During his party's three years out of power, Dutton has evolved into a less confrontational and more responsive political leader, said Monash University political expert Zareh Ghazarian. 'He presented himself as a tough leader. But the more he's spent time in opposition, the more he has built his leadership repertoire,' Ghazarian said. Dutton has signaled that his international priorities would differ from those of recent prime ministers if his party wins elections. Australian prime ministers are expected to make their first overseas trips to Asia, usually heading to Indonesia to underscore the importance of that bilateral relationship with a near neighbor; Dutton has said he plans to go first to the United States to meet President Donald Trump and secure preferential trade terms. 'I do believe that if there's a change of government, I will be able to work with the Trump administration mark 2 to get better outcomes for Australians,' Dutton told the Lowy Institute international policy think tank in Sydney in March. Conflict with China Dutton received a rebuke from Beijing in 2019 when he accused the Chinese Communist Party of directing cyberattacks, stealing intellectual property and suppressing free speech. 'We categorically reject Mr. Dutton's irrational accusations against China, which are shocking and baseless,' the Chinese Embassy in Australia said in a statement. China-Australia relations have improved since current Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's government was elected in 2022. China has lifted a series of official and unofficial trade barriers that cost Australian exporters 20 billion Australian dollars ($13 billion) a year in the final years of the previous conservative government. Beijing also lifted a ban on minister-to-minister contacts. 'We will cooperate where we can, disagree where we must and engage in the national interest,' Albanese often says of his administration's relationship with Beijing. But Dutton says he would improve Australia's relations with Beijing even further with a tough and uncompromising approach. 'I don't believe that President Xi (Jinping) with the strength of his leadership respects a weak and incompetent Australian prime minister,' Dutton said. Dutton has accused Albanese of 'self-censorship' in dealing with China. He described Albanese's reaction to three Chinese warships virtually circumnavigating Australia in February in a show of China's military reach as the 'weakest, most limp-wristed response you could see from a leader.' Australia complained the Chinese gave insufficient notice of live-fire exercises off the Australian coast that forced commercial airline flights between Sydney and New Zealand to divert. Beijing responded that Australia had made 'unreasonable accusations' and said the naval exercise had complied with international law. Dutton, 54, belongs to the most conservative faction of his conservative Liberal Party. Since he was first elected to the Federal Parliament in 2001, he has held several ministerial roles including the key security portfolios of defense and home affairs, in which he established a public image as an uncompromising and confrontational politician. As minister for immigration and border protection from 2014, Dutton oversaw Operation Sovereign Borders, a military-run blockade of Australia's northern ocean approaches that largely ended the trafficking of asylum-seekers by people smugglers in dilapidated fishing boats. Dutton has said his political outlook is shaped by almost a decade working in the Queensland state police force, which he joined at 19. He worked in the drug and sexual crime squads. 'I think it's a bit of a police trait and it's dealing with a problem that's before you and then moving on to the next one and trying to deal with it efficiently,' Dutton told a TV profile in 2023.
Associated Press
02-05-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Peter Dutton, a former police detective who's hawkish on China, is leading Australia's conservatives
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia's conservative opposition leader Peter Dutton is a former police detective who gained a reputation during his years in government for his tough stance on border security and as a vocal critic of China. If he becomes prime minister at general elections on Saturday, it will be the first time since 1931 — amid the economic turmoil of the Great Depression — that an Australian government has been ousted after a single three-year term. A major factor in his success or failure is likely to be his pledge to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 with nuclear power instead of the government's reliance on renewable energy sources. His Liberal Party was been remarkably united behind him since he became their leader after their government was defeated at elections in 2022. During his party's three years out of power, Dutton has evolved into a less confrontational and more responsive political leader, said Monash University political expert Zareh Ghazarian. 'He presented himself as a tough leader. But the more he's spent time in opposition, the more he has built his leadership repertoire,' Ghazarian said. Dutton has signaled that his international priorities would differ from those of recent prime ministers if his party wins elections. Australian prime ministers are expected to make their first overseas trips to Asia, usually heading to Indonesia to underscore the importance of that bilateral relationship with a near neighbor; Dutton has said he plans to go first to the United States to meet President Donald Trump and secure preferential trade terms. 'I do believe that if there's a change of government, I will be able to work with the Trump administration mark 2 to get better outcomes for Australians,' Dutton told the Lowy Institute international policy think tank in Sydney in March. Conflict with China Dutton received a rebuke from Beijing in 2019 when he accused the Chinese Communist Party of directing cyberattacks, stealing intellectual property and suppressing free speech. 'We categorically reject Mr. Dutton's irrational accusations against China, which are shocking and baseless,' the Chinese Embassy in Australia said in a statement. China-Australia relations have improved since current Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's government was elected in 2022. China has lifted a series of official and unofficial trade barriers that cost Australian exporters 20 billion Australian dollars ($13 billion) a year in the final years of the previous conservative government. Beijing also lifted a ban on minister-to-minister contacts. 'We will cooperate where we can, disagree where we must and engage in the national interest,' Albanese often says of his administration's relationship with Beijing. But Dutton says he would improve Australia's relations with Beijing even further with a tough and uncompromising approach. 'I don't believe that President Xi (Jinping) with the strength of his leadership respects a weak and incompetent Australian prime minister,' Dutton said. Dutton has accused Albanese of 'self-censorship' in dealing with China. He described Albanese's reaction to three Chinese warships virtually circumnavigating Australia in February in a show of China's military reach as the 'weakest, most limp-wristed response you could see from a leader.' Australia complained the Chinese gave insufficient notice of live-fire exercises off the Australian coast that forced commercial airline flights between Sydney and New Zealand to divert. Beijing responded that Australia had made 'unreasonable accusations' and said the naval exercise had complied with international law. Record in government Dutton, 54, belongs to the most conservative faction of his conservative Liberal Party. Since he was first elected to the Federal Parliament in 2001, he has held several ministerial roles including the key security portfolios of defense and home affairs, in which he established a public image as an uncompromising and confrontational politician. As minister for immigration and border protection from 2014, Dutton oversaw Operation Sovereign Borders, a military-run blockade of Australia's northern ocean approaches that largely ended the trafficking of asylum-seekers by people smugglers in dilapidated fishing boats. Australia has been accused of shirking its obligation to resettle such refugees by sending boat arrivals to Australian-funded immigration camps on the poor island nations of Papua New Guinea and Nauru. Dutton has said his political outlook is shaped by almost a decade working in the Queensland state police force, which he joined at 19. He worked in the drug and sexual crime squads. 'I think it's a bit of a police trait and it's dealing with a problem that's before you and then moving on to the next one and trying to deal with it efficiently,' Dutton told a TV profile in 2023.
