Latest news with #PortOfDarwin
News.com.au
6 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Xi Jinping ‘clear' on Port of Darwin, Anthony Albanese says
Anthony Albanese says his election vow to return the Port of Darwin into Australian hands still stands as he gears up for his fourth official meeting with Xi Jinping. Fronting reporters in Shanghai on Monday, Mr Albanese said his government 'had a very clear position' on the port's 99-year lease to a Chinese logistics giant and that he was 'sure' the Chinese President 'is very clear and is knowledgeable of that'. Pressed on whether he was worried about 'blowback' foreshadowed by a former state media propagandist, Mr Albanese was quick to say 'no'. 'We had a very clear position that we want the port to go into Australian ownership,' he said. 'We've been clear about it, we've been orderly about it, and we will go through that process.' He added that 'governments cannot respond in policy terms, to every time there's an article written or a tweet or a blog and change their position'. 'Good government has a position, advocates for it and implements it, and mine is a good government.' Labor promised at the election to undo the Port of Darwin's lease to Landbridge Holdings. It has not ruled out forcing a sale to break the deal, which was inked by the Turnbull-Coalition a decade ago. Beijing has indicated it would bring up the touchy topic with Mr Albanese. The Prime Minister has been bombarded by a Chinese charm offensive since landing in Shanghai over the weekend for his six-day state visit. He has in turn done his bit to keep things positive and shed the spectre of a militaristic regional rivalry that looms large over the Australia-China relationship. But thorny issues remain even as both sides spruik their economic offerings, including the Port of Darwin.
News.com.au
6 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Anthony Albanese makes shock port vow ahead of big Xi Jinping meet
Anthony Albanese has been grilled by reporters over the future of the Port of Darwin during a Shanghai press conference. While speaking about the future of the industrial relationship between Australia and China on Monday, the Prime Minister was asked whether he would speak to Chinese President Xi Jinping about the Port of Darwin. The reporter said an 'influential state media influence' from China had posted an essay on Mr Albanese's trip, focusing on the Port of Darwin. The influencer warned that if Australia 'insists on tearing up the Port of Darwin contract, the Chinese side may take counter measures' such as 'restricting Australian market access in China or tightening imports of key resources.' 'We have a very clear position that we want the port to go into Australian ownership,' Mr Albanese said. 'We've been clear about it, orderly about it, and we will go through that process. 'I'm not sure who the blogger is … Governments cannot respond in policy terms to every time there is an article written, a tweet or a blog and change their position.' Landbridge Group is the Chinese-owned operator that hold a 99-year lease on the Port of Darwin, and it has frequently denied links to the Chinese military and the Chinese Communist Party.
News.com.au
09-07-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Jim Chalmers spruiks China trade, admits ‘complexities' ahead of PM's trip
Jim Chalmers has spruiked trade with China ahead of Anthony Albanese's imminent state visit but says there are 'complexities' the Prime Minister will need to navigate. Among the myriad of thorny issues is Labor's election commitment to get the Port of Darwin back in Australian hands. It has not ruled out forcing a sale to break the 99-year lease to China's Landbridge Holdings, which was greenlit by the Turnbull-Coalition government a decade ago. Beijing has indicated it would bring up the touchy topic when Mr Albanese visits. Calling the trip a 'very, very important opportunity', the Treasurer on Wednesday said raising points of agreement and disagreement was a balancing act. 'This is a trading relationship and economic relationship that benefits both sides, and we've shown a willingness and ability to stabilise that relationship, to engage in our national interests and in the interests of our workers and businesses and investors,' Mr Chalmers told the ABC. 'But there are complexities in the relationship as well, and we've been clear that we think the Port of Darwin should never have been sold off under the previous Liberal government in the first place. 'We've made it very clear that we will see the Port of Darwin return to Australian hands – that's what we committed to during the election.' Hesitant to drop any details, he said the Albanese government would 'work through that methodically'. 'We won't speculate on prospective buyers, and we'll have more to say about it in due course,' Mr Chalmers added. 'But there are complexities in the relationship with China. 'We don't pretend that there aren't, and this is one of them, and we'll work through it with engagement, we'll work through it methodically and in a considered way as we have with some of the other issues in the relationship.' In China, state media has framed Mr Albanese's visit positively or along strictly neutral, government-issued lines. The Global Times – a Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece that routinely publishes anti-West, anti-Australia propaganda – reported that China was 'willing to work with Australia', citing the country's foreign ministry. China Daily took a similar line. 'Under the guidance of the leaders of the two countries and with the joint efforts of both sides, China-Australia relations have continued to improve,' China Daily cited the same foreign ministry spokeswoman as saying. 'China is willing to work with Australia to take this visit as an opportunity to strengthen communication, enhance mutual trust, expand practical co-operation, and advance the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.'
Bloomberg
17-06-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Not All Ports Are a National Security Threat
Australia's northernmost maritime gateway has become a lightning rod for the fragile relationship between the US and China — but while national security concerns are warranted for many of the ports that Beijing controls or owns, this is hardly the one to worry about. President Donald Trump's trade war has meant that almost everything to do with China is now viewed through the lens of geopolitics. In 2015, the privately held Shandong-based Landbridge Group — a Chinese logistics, infrastructure, and petrochemical firm — secured a 99-year lease for the strategically significant Port of Darwin, located just off the coast of the Indonesian border and near military bases that routinely host rotations of US Marines in Australia.
ABC News
16-06-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Darwin Port owner defends 99-year lease as future hangs in the balance
Landbridge, the Chinese-owned business that operates the Port of Darwin, is defending itself against what it calls a campaign of 'myths and mistruths'. The company wants to retain control of the Port while the federal government has vowed to end its lease, which has long been controversial. Matt Garrick reports from Darwin.
