Australia’s combative stance on China is here to stay
In 2015, Landbridge Group, which is owned by Chinese billionaire Ye Cheng, won a bid with the price tag of $390 million for the operation of Porth Darwin, in northern Australia. As of this week, the Australian government is weighing on whether to force Landbridge Group to give up its ownership due to national security concerns. The company has close ties to the Chinese military according to reporting from Reuters [Australia reviewing lease of Darwin port to Chinese firm].
The news came only weeks after an escalation in tensions between the two, as the Australian government has decided to cancel a BRI agreement signed in 2018 between China and the government of the state of Victoria. Australia’s foreign minister Marise Payne has stated that the agreement is inconsistent with the country’s foreign policy.
The China-Australia relationship has in recent years been characterised primarily by increased tensions over a number of political issues. Australia has investigated China’s growing influence over its higher education, it has banned Huawei from its 5G rollout, called for a robust Covid-19 probe, and it has been a staunch voice on the Xinjiang issue.
As dilemmas surrounding cooperation with China are creeping ever more into domestic discourse of national security, Australia is expected to increasingly opt out of collaboration with China.
Mirela Petkova
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