Coronavirus pandemic set to shift China-Australia trade relations
Chinese aggression towards Australia could continue for months with high-level sources saying Australia is now bracing for China to continue to act out to reassert its power after its mishandling of the pandemic.
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The aggression of the Chinese Communist Party towards Australia is expected to continue for months as the federal government turns to its Five Eyes partners to respond with a united front.
Senior government figures have shed new light on Australia’s more assertive position on China, revealing they believe our relationship with our biggest trading partner will be permanently altered by China’s antics during the coronavirus crisis.
Western leaders including Scott Morrison see Beijing’s enforcement of chilling security laws on Hong Kong as a sign that the Communist Party is ratcheting up its “wolf warrior” diplomacy.
Beijing security forces have even commandeered a high-rise Hong Kong hotel, complete with a rooftop pool, as they enforce the new laws limiting the region’s autonomy.
The Herald Sun has spoken to high-level sources who say Australia is now bracing for China to continue acting out to reassert its power after its mishandling of the pandemic.
The Prime Minister on Friday announced Australia would offer thousands of Hongkongers extended visas and pathways to permanent residency, as he suspended Australia’s extradition treaty with the region.
Mr Morrison carefully described the policy changes as an “acknowledgment of the fundamental change of circumstances in relation to Hong Kong”.
As senior government officials expected, China responded quickly, with state-run media saying it had pushed China’s relationship with Australia to “breaking point”, and warning Australia was “not irreplaceable”.
Senior advisers said the refusal of China’s trade minister to speak with his Australian counterpart Simon Birmingham over recent months was another move designed to pressure Australia.
But Mr Morrison, Mr Birmingham and other officials have been advised to calmly hold the line, because while China was willing to suffer some pain to make a point, they would not ice Australia forever and a “landing point” would be reached.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade last week updated travel advice to tell Australians they could face “arbitrary detention” in mainland China.
The Herald Sun understands departmental staff were not prepared for the “routine” adjustment to make international headlines.
New processes now mean all China travel updates will be ticked off by Mr Morrison’s national security committee.
Amid tensions with China, Australia has been working in a more co-ordinated approach with its Five Eyes partners.
Foreign Minister Marise Payne on Thursday spoke with counterparts in the UK, US, Canada and New Zealand about “global security”, and she said they would “work together for human rights and freedoms”.
Mr Morrison also recently unveiled a major strategic shift in Australia’s defence policy to counteract China’s rising regional influence.
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