China ‘bullying’ sparks NSW council sister city relationship concern

Amid the national war of words and trade with China, there are calls for NSW councils to ditch their sister city and friendship city agreements with its Chinese counterparts.

Anger at China’s bullying of Australia, crippling trade tariffs and fake pictures of SAS brutality have sparked calls for local councils to cut ties with Chinese sister cities.

Local councillors and NSW Federal Liberal Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells have called for the agreements — which local government insiders say “are just an excuse for an overseas junket” — to be reviewed or even scrapped.

The calls come amid proposed new federal laws forcing local councils to submit proposed sister city relationships for review with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

The Saturday Telegraph can also reveal the agreement between Clover Moore’s City of Sydney council and the Chinese city of Guangzhou is being investigated by the federal government.

Penrith Council’s sister city of Kunshan in China. Barcroft Media via Getty

Penrith councillor Marcus Cornish said the recent slurs against the SAS and China’s trade war should prompt Penrith Council to cut ties with Kunshan in Jiangsu Province and the Xicheng district of Beijing, and will bring a motion to the next council meeting calling for the severance.

“I hope this gives other Sydney councils the lead to say that this behaviour from China is not right and is impacting on our community at a grassroots level,” he said.

In Australia there are 588 sister city relationships held with 52 countries – 99 of these are with China and 76 friendship affiliations, of which 32 are with China.

Earlier this year Wagga Wagga City Council decided to cut their relationship with the Chinese city of Kunming because of disagreements over the behaviour of the Chinese Communist Party following the coronavirus outbreak, then repealed the decision.

Wagga Wagga City Council has a sister relationship with Kunming in China. Picture: Diego Azubel

Wagga councillor Paul Funnell this week called for the matter to be revisited – citing a trade war which is crippling the Riverina’s biggest export industries of wine, barley and beef.

“I do not want Wagga in a formal relationship with a city that is run by the Chinese Communist Party – they are bullies,” he said.

A Dubbo councillor, who did not want to be named, has called for a similar review of their relationship with Chinese city of Wujiang.

“Given the growing concerns about foreign interference and foreign influence, I fully support any council raising concerns about their sister city relationships, including with China,” NSW Ms Fierravanti-Wells told The Saturday Telegraph.

At least 11 NSW councils have sister city/friendship arrangements with Chinese cities, including the City of Sydney’s relationship with Wuhan and Guangzhou.

The City of Sydney’s memorandum of understanding with Guangzhou is one of 37 agreements entered into by local governments that will be scrutinised by the Australian Government, according to an Australian Local Government Association submission to a federal senate committee in September.

A spokesman for Clover Moore said “for many years, the city has fostered relationships with cities around the world through Sister City and Friendship City agreements”.

“We continue to work respectfully with our Sister and Friendship cities,” he said.