AUSTRALIA – FOREIGN RELATIONS – CHINA

Chinese Communist Party insiders infiltrate Western consulates

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Original article by Sharri Markson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 7 : 14-Dec-20

Members of the Chinese Communist Party are working in at least 10 foreign consulates in Shanghai, including those of Australia, the US and the UK. This follows the examination of a leaked copy of CCP membership records, which has also found that CCP members are working in companies such as Boeing and AstraZeneca, as well as Western universities. Australia hires local staff for its Shanghai consulate through the Shanghai Foreign Agency Service Department, which is a Chinese government agency, and the leaked database indicates that it has at least 12 active CCP branches

CORPORATES
COMMUNIST PARTY (CHINA), BOEING COMPANY, ASTRAZENECA PLC

China not playing by trade pact rules

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Original article by Ben Packham, Will Glasgow
The Australian – Page: 4 : 9-Dec-20

Trade Minister Simon Birmingham says the federal government is considering "all dispute settlement options" in response to China’s recent move to ban a range of imports from Australia. He has also suggested that the targeted nature of the import bans raises questions about China’s adherence to the free-trade agreement that the two nations signed in 2015. China has yet to explain why it has banned meat exports from Queensland-based abattoir Meramist, although there is speculation that it is in retaliation to the federal government’s Foreign Relations Bill.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, MERAMIST PTY LTD

80 coal ships in China stand-off

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Original article by Perry Williams, Will Glasgow
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 27-Nov-20

Australia’s coal exports to China fell by 96 per cent in the first three weeks of November. Industry sources have indicated that 82 bulk carriers are currently in Chinese waters and awaiting permission to unload 8.8 million tonnes of Australian coal. China’s ban on coal imports from Australia has forced producers to find alternative markets for their coal, often at a discount. Meanwhile, North American coal is now being sold to China at a premium to Australian coal.

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China fallout hits Woodside gas sale plan

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Original article by Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 14 & 18 : 12-Nov-20

Woodside Petroleum CEO Peter Coleman says potential Chinese investors have abandoned talks to acquire a stake in Scarborough gas project due to the growing trade tensions between Australia and China. He adds that this contributed to Woodside’s decision to drop plans to reduce its stake in the Scarborough project and focus on selling a stake in the Pluto-2 project. Coleman has stressed that relations between Woodside and its existing Chinese customers and partners remain strong.

CORPORATES
WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL

China spat puts $149bn trade at risk

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Original article by Will Glasgow, Ben Packham
The Australian – Page: 1 & 8 : 5-Nov-20

There is growing concern that the Chinese government is set to impose bans on more Australian imports. Wine producers have become the latest casualty of escalating tensions between the two nations, with Chinese customs officials preventing them from exhibiting at the China International Import Expo. The lobster industry has also been targeted, with a shipment worth more than $2m having to be destroyed after it was delayed at a Chinese airport. Unconfirmed media reports in China have suggested that a widespread ban on Australian imports – including coal, copper and sugar – will take effect on 6 November.

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China to halt key Australian imports in sweeping retaliation

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Original article by
Bloomberg – Page: Online : 4-Nov-20

Sources have indicated that Chinese traders have been ordered to cease buying at least seven categories of Australian commodities, amid growing tensions between the two nations. Traders are said to have been verbally told to stop buying Australian coal, barley, copper ore and concentrate, sugar, timber, wine and lobster from 6 November. However, iron ore is not believed to be included in the list of barred commodities at present. Chinese media reports have also suggested that a ban on Australian wheat will also be imposed.

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Australian exports to China fall 26pc, fastest drop among trade partners

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Original article by Glenda Korporaal
The Australian – Page: 20 : 8-Sep-20

Data from China’s General Administration of Customs suggests that the value of the nation’s imports of goods from Australia fell by 26.2 per cent year-on-year in August, to $US8.81bn. This follows a 7.2 per cent fall in July. Australia’s overall exports to China have fallen by 7.5 per cent to $US75.7bn over the year, according to the Chinese data. The Australian Bureau of Statistics has previously reported that the nation exported a record $150bn worth of goods to China in the year to 30 June. Australia’s relations with China have become increasingly strained in recent months.

CORPORATES
CHINA. GENERAL ADMINISTRATION OF CUSTOMS, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS

China issues upgraded travel warning for Australia

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Original article by Matthew Doran
The New Daily – Page: Online : 14-Jul-20

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has ramped up its travel warnings for Chinese citizens planning to travel to Australia. It claims that Australian law agencies have been "arbitrarily" searching Chinese travellers and seizing their property. The Ministry states that there have been increased levels of racial discrimination and violence in Australia, and the nation’s media has been inciting anti-China sentiment. The warning is a further sign of China’s increased hostility towards Australia.

CORPORATES
CHINA. MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

China’s fury at HK haven

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Original article by Andrew Tillett, Michael Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 9 : 10-Jul-20

Australia has suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong in response to China’s imposition of new national security laws on the former British colony. Prime Minister Scott Morrison says the new laws undermine Hong Kong’s autonomy, while he has offered a ‘pathway to permanent residency’ in Australia to more than 12,000 resident of Hong Kong. The Chinese embassy in Canberra has attacked the federal government over its actions, as has China’s foreign ministry; Australian government officials expect the federal government’s actions to result in trade retaliation by China.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Australian visa fast track for HK nationals fleeing strife

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Original article by Simon Benson, Ben Packham
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 3-Jul-20

Tensions with China may increase after the federal government advised that it will consider options for allowing Hong Kong nationals to migrate to Australia. The skilled migrant visa program is expected to be the government’s preferred option when cabinet discusses the issue on 8 July. However, part of the annual refugee intake could potentially be allocated to Hong Kong nationals who are at risk of persecution under the Chinese government’s national security laws for the former British colony. China has criticised the UK’s decision to offer citizenship to more than three million Hong Kong nationals.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET