AUSTRALIA – FOREIGN RELATIONS – CHINA

China wine tariffs under review

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Original article by Will Glasgow
The Australian – Page: 4 : 23-Oct-23

The Chinese government imposed tariffs of more than 200 per cent on Australian wine in 2020 as part of a widespread imposition of tariffs on Australian exports after the former Coalition government called for an inquiry into the origins of COVID-19. However, China has announced that it will review its tariffs on Australian wine. Shadow foreign affairs minister Simon Birmingham – who was trade minister at the time the tariffs were imposed – said they were "an attempt at economic coercion by China".

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

PM urged not to visit China till sanctions go

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Original article by Patrick Commins
The Australian – Page: 2 : 26-Jul-23

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese remains under pressure to postpone a proposed official visit to China amid ongoing trade tensions. Warwick Smith from the Business Council of Australia says China’s trade sanctions are an "endless point of contention" that must be addressed before Albanese considers visiting China. Smith says the Productivity Commission’s recent finding that the trade restrictions had resulted in little impact on the Australian economy shows that China’s stance had been a "political own-goal"; however, he notes that individual companies had been heavily impacted by the sanctions. The wine industry in particular has found it hard to secure alternative export markets.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA

Albanese urged to cancel China trip as Hong Kong vows to pursue exiled democracy activists for life

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Original article by Daniel Hurst
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 5-Jul-23

The federal government has stated that it will not tolerate any foreign interference on Australian soil, in response to Hong Kong’s move to issue arrest warrants for pro-democracy advocates Kevin Yam and Ted Hui. Hong Kong’s CEO John Lee has warned that Yam, Hui and the other six activists will be "pursued for life" if they do not surrender, adding that Hong Kong authorities will continue to "monitor" their actions and behaviour while they are overseas. Shadow home affairs minister James Paterson says Prime Minister Anthony Albanese should reconsider his proposed official visit to Beijing in the wake of Lee’s threats.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

China invasion forecasts unrealistic: Morrison

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Original article by Will Glasgow
The Australian – Page: 4 : 8-Mar-23

Former prime minister Scott Morrison has downplayed concerns that China may invade Taiwan in coming years. US military officials have warned that China could potentially attack Taiwan within three years, but Morrison contends that any such assessments should be taken with "a grain of salt". He added that Australia’s increased defence spending and alignment with other countries is part of an effort to create an "enduring balance" in the Asia-Pacific region. Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping has accused the US and its allies of implementing a policy of "all-round containment, encirclement and suppression" of China. Foreign Minister Qin Gang in turn has reiterated that China wants to take control of Taiwan by "peaceful means"; however, he adds that China reserves the right to
take "all necessary measures" to achieve this.

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Australia a greater cyber-attack target

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Original article by Sarah Ison
The Australian – Page: 2 : 6-Mar-23

Former head of the US National Security Agency Mike Rogers claims the apparent improvement in relations between China and Australia will not see a reduction in the level of China’s cyber activity against Australia. Rogers says Australia’s involvement in alliances such as AUKUS and the Quad make it an increased target for cyber attacks, as does the automation of industries such as mining. He suggests that the strong response from both the government and the public to the cyber attacks on Optus and Medibank would serve as more of an incentive than a disincentive for future attacks.

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UNITED STATES. NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, MEDIBANK PRIVATE LIMITED – ASX MPL

Worry about Japan not China, says Beijing’s top envoy in Australia

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Original article by Matthew Knott
The Age – Page: Online : 11-Jan-23

China’s ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian says the relationship between the two nations is at "a critical stage of turnaround". Xiao has claimed that the AUKUS alliance is targeting China and buying nuclear-powered submarines will not solve Australia’s security concerns. Xiao contends that Japan is a greater military threat than his nation, given that Japan has never officially apologised for its conduct during World War II, including the bombing of Darwin and the mistreatment of prisoners of war. He argues that the lack of an apology means that Japan could potentially go to war with Australia again. However, Australia and Japan have established close security ties in recent decades.

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‘Ice thaws, but slowly’: Experts optimistic on China trade

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Original article by Gus McCubbing
The Australian Financial Review – Page: Online : 23-Dec-22

Warwick Smith believes that Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s meeting with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi will result in an easing of the $20 billion worth of trade sanctions that China imposed in Australia in 2020. Smith, who is the chairman of the Business Council of Australia’s global engagement committee, has described Wong as a "consummate diplomat". Taiwan-based Australian National University political analyst Wen-Ti Sung said he agrees with Wong’s comment that, in terms of trade, the "ice thaws, but slowly", while former Chinese diplomat Han Yang thinks Australia will have to make policy concessions to secure the release of Cheng Lei and Yang Hengjun, who are currently detained in China.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

Liberal Party vows to adopt more sensitive language on China

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Original article by Matthew Knott, Eryk Bagshaw
The Age – Page: Online : 23-Dec-22

The review into the Liberal Party’s defeat in the May federal election found that the swing against it was significantly higher in electorates which have high concentrations of voters of Chinese ancestry. The review stated that party representatives need to be sensitive to the genuine concerns of the Chinese community and to ensure the language that they use cannot be misinterpreted as insensitive. The release of the review came as Foreign Minister Penny Wong returned from her quick visit to Beijing, with her visit being the first by an Australian foreign minister in four years.

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LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Wong warns of hard issues

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Original article by Andrew Tillett, Michael Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 21-Dec-22

Foreign Minister Penny Wong is the first federal government minister to visit China since 2019. Her meeting with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Wednesday will coincide with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Wong has downplayed expectations that her visit to China will result in an improvement in the strained relations between the two nations, noting that many of the hard issues will take time to resolve in Australia’s interests. Wong has indicated that she will push for China to ease restrictions on Australian exports and to release two Australians who have been detained on national security charges.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE

First step in long China thaw

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Original article by Ben Packham, Amanda Hodge, Will Glasgow
The Australian – Page: 1 & 7 : 16-Nov-22

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has described his brief meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 leaders’ summit as an important step to moving forward in the bilateral relationship between the two nations. Albanese and Xi talked for 32 minutes on the sidelines of the Bali summit, with the latter praising Albanese for handling relations between the two countries in a "mature manner". Albanese raised a number of issues during the meeting, including China’s trade bans on Australian imports and Australia’s concerns about alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang province. He also urged Xi to release two Australian citizens who have been detained in China on espionage charges and to use his influence with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, GROUP OF TWENTY (G-20)