Beijing backs Mark McGowan’s ‘constructive’ criticism of Scott Morrison

China’s foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian has heaped praise on Mark McGowan’s latest blast of the federal government.

WA Premier Mark McGowan. Picture: Colin Murty/The Australian

Beijing has backed West Australian Premier Mark McGowan’s “constructive” criticism of the Morrison government’s China policy.

Responding to a question by the Party-controlled Beijing Daily, China’s foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian praised the Labor Premier’s latest blast of the federal government.

“The Australian government should heed these constructive opinions,” said Mr Zhao at a regular press conference in Beijing.

“[F]ace up to and reflect on the crux of the setback in bilateral relations, abandon the Cold War mentality and ideological bias, earnestly uphold the principle of mutual respect and equal treatment, and act in ways conducive to enhancing mutual trust and promoting practical co-operation,” said the foreign ministry spokesman.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian. Picture: Reuters

McGowan’s comments this week were made as Prime Minister Morrison was discussing with world leaders Australia’s concerns about Beijing’s belligerence in the Indo-Pacific.

After a meeting with Morrison in Paris, President Macron joined the chorus of world leaders — including UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson earlier this week — that have supported Canberra after Beijing launched trade strikes on Australian exports worth more than $20 billion a year.

“I know how much you are at the forefront of the tensions that may exist in the region, of threats, sometimes of intimidation. I would like to reiterate here how much we stand by your side,” Macron told Mr Morrison.

“We firmly reject any coercive measures of an economic nature taken against Australia in flagrant violation of international law,” he said.

The day earlier, at an oil and gas conference in Perth, Premier McGowan criticised Morrison government’s handling of Australia’s biggest trading partner.

“The federal talk of conflict, trade retaliation can and must stop. We should always protect our interests, our institutions, our independence, our democracy and our freedoms. That goes without saying,” said McGowan.

“But how is it in our interests to be reckless with trading relationships that fund and drive our prosperity and our nation forward?”

Budget papers in Australia’s second biggest resources state Queensland revealed China’s unofficial coal ban had nearly halved the state’s royalty earnings.

Queensland’s Labor Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she would like an improvement in the bilateral relationship “because it affects Queensland jobs”.

A survey released this week by Sydney’s University of Technology found only 32 per cent of Australians thought the Morrison government had managed the China relationship well.

Residents of the iron ore state of Western Australia were the most critical.

But the same survey by UTS’s Australia-China Relations Institute found more than six in 10 Australians said they wanted the government to take a harder line on China and that 67 per cent said China was a security threat.

Most Australians — 80 per cent of the 2000 surveyed — said Beijing and Canberra shared responsibility for improving the relationship.

Xi Jinping’s administration has maintained the breakdown is entirely the fault of Australia and refused the Morrison government’s requests for dialogue.

At Wednesday evening’s foreign ministry press conference, Mr Zhao again insisted the fault lay with Canberra.

“For quite some time, people from different social sectors in Australia have expressed concern about the way the Australian government approaches relations with China,” he said.