Foreign Minister Penny Wong raises human rights, trade and security concerns with Chinese counterpart

Australia “missed an opportunity” by failing to raise concerns about tech giant TikTok in high level talks with China, security experts say.

Australia “missed an opportunity” by failing to raise concerns about tech giant TikTok in high level talks with China, security experts say.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong broached a wide range of human rights, defence and security issues in a meeting with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Canberra on Wednesday, but did not canvas growing concerns about TikTok, owned by Beijing-based company Bytedance.

Ms Wong said the meeting — the first visit to Australia by a Chinese foreign minister since 2017 — was an opportunity to “exchange frank views on issues that matter to us”.

She told Mr Wang Australians were “shocked” at the commuted death sentence a Beijing court handed down to pro-democracy writer Dr Yang Hengjun and emphasised the importance of activity in the South China Sea being “governed by law”.

“I raised Australia’s concerns about human rights, including in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong. I expressed our … serious concern about unsafe conduct at sea, our desire for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in our region,” she said.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi for talks at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Though Coalition home affairs spokesman James Paterson previously said he did not expect TikTok to be addressed in meetings with Mr Wang, security experts have lamented the omission.

Strategic Analysis Australia director Michael Shoebridge said TikTok was a “very important issue” and Ms Wong had missed an opportunity to signal that at a diplomatic level.

“If a new stabilised relationship with China gives us the ability to have hard and frank conversations, then raising the potential that we might want to ban a Chinese app that’s used by 8.5 million Australians seems to meet that test,” he said.

“This is a very important issue for the government in Beijing because this is one of their big tech companies, and the global reach of that tech company can be constrained by decisions by the Australian Government.”

While TikTok is banned on Australian government devices, Labor is not currently looking to follow the US, which is attempting to force Bytedance to sell its American TikTok operations.

Cyber safety expert Susan McLean said the foreign ministers’ meeting was the “perfect opportunity” to make Australia’s security concerns clear regarding TikTok.

“A face-to-face setting is the best way to raise an issue like this,” she said.

“It would be worth noting our security concerns even if we only got a propaganda response back.”

Ms McLean said she understood there were other priorities to discuss but given the national security implications around TikTok it was still “important enough” to bring up in the meeting.

TikTok has launched an massive lobbying campaign in the US in the wake of moves against the platform, arguing its users’ data is kept secure and to ban the app would impact thousands of creators and small businesses.

Australia’s ‘shock’ at death sentence raised in China meeting

Australia’s “shock” at Beijing handing a commuted death sentence to pro-democracy writer Dr Yang Hengjun and concerns about China’s human rights abuses have been raised in a high level face-to-face meeting.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong also raised Australia’s “serious concern” about unsafe conduct in the South China Sea and pushed for Beijing to drop trade blocks on Australian wine, beef and lobsters, in a meeting with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Canberra on Wednesday morning.

Australian and Chinese officials meeting in Canberra Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

“We discussed the sentencing of Dr Yang Hengjun. I told the foreign minister Australians were shocked at the sentence imposed and I made clear to him the Australian Government will continue to advocate on Dr Yang’s behalf,” Ms Wong said.

“I also raised our concerns about other Australian death penalty cases, as you know Australia opposes the death penalty in all circumstances for all peoples.”

In February Dr Yang was handed a death sentence for unspecified charges that would be commuted to life in prison after two years of good behaviour.

As the foreign ministers met in Parliament House, pro-Tibet protesters and Uyghur advocates gathered on the lawns outside demanding the Albanese Government urgently raise human rights concerns with Mr Wang.

Ms Wong confirmed she spoke to Mr Wang about China’s treatment of ethnic minorities, crackdown on pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong and increased military activity near Taiwan.

“I raised Australia’s concerns about human rights, including in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong. I expressed our … serious concern about unsafe conduct at sea, our desire for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and in our region,” she said.

Members of the Australian Tibetan community hold flags and placards as they protest at a rally organised by the Alliance for Victims of the Chinese Communist Regime outside Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: David Gray/AFP

Ms Wong said she reiterated the “importance of the South China Sea being governed by law”

She also denied there was any “quid pro quo” relationship in Australia’s recent decision to drop anti-dumping action against Chinese wind turbines and hopes of Beijing lifting trade impediments on wine, beef and lobster.
“There’s no relationship between the wine dispute and the steel dispute,” she said.

“I welcome the progress towards removing trade impediments and reiterated our desire for the removal of remaining impediments on beef and lobster.

Ms Wong said Anthony Albanese was looking forward to welcoming Chinese Premier Li to Australia, but did not reveal a set date for the leaders’ meeting.