China dresses down Japan’s envoy to Beijing over Quad comments, as CCP reach out to Albanese

China dresses down senior Japanese diplomat over comments made at leaders’ summit, while continuing to court new PM.

Chinese President Xi Jinping with Premier Li Keqiang. Picture: AFP

China has given a dressing down to a senior Japanese diplomat over comments made at the Quad leaders’ summit, while continuing its outreach to Anthony Albanese, the host of next year’s meeting.

Summoned late on Tuesday evening, Japan’s envoy in Beijing was told off for allowing “negative and erroneous words and deeds concerning China” to be made at the Quad meeting in Tokyo.

“China made solemn representations, expressing strong dissatisfaction and serious concerns,” China’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

Anthony Albanese, Joe Biden, Fumio Kishida and Narendra Modi at the QUAD leaders meeting. Picture: AFP

The late night chiding was echoed by Beijing’s propaganda department and underlines the challenging road ahead for any improvement of relations between the new Albanese government and China.

Prime Minister Albanese on Tuesday confirmed Australia will host next year’s meeting of the Quad, which Beijing has long accused of being a vehicle to “contain China”.

For now, Beijing is continuing its outreach to the new Prime Minister — even as it sends its Foreign Minister Wang Yi on an unprecedented trip to sign a host of security agreements with Pacific Islands countries, starting on Thursday.

China’s foreign ministry spokesman evaded a question when asked about Mr Albanese’s clear assurance in Tokyo that his government was committed to the Quad.

Instead, the foreign ministry spokesman noted a congratulatory letter to Mr Albanese by Premier Li Keqiang that said “the Chinese side is ready to work with the Australian side”.

The letter is the first communication from a senior Chinese leader to an Australian counterpart in more than two years. Beijing severed relations with the Coalition government in early 2020.

The China Daily, an English language party state masthead often used to send messages to foreign governments, said in an editorial on Wednesday that Premier Li’s message “conveyed Beijing’s sincere wish for a broader thaw in relations”.

Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs advised in 2021 that Beijing was trying to “wait out” the Coalition after its economic coercion campaign failed to change Canberra’s policy settings.

Experienced former Australian diplomats have urged Mr Albanese to treat Beijing’s outreach with caution.

Mr Albanese has followed that advice, saying he would “respond appropriately in time” to Mr Li’s letter, while noting China needed to end the ongoing trade strikes on Australian exports previously worth more than $20 billion a year.

While lowering its rhetorical attacks on Australia’s new prime minister, Beijing has ramped out its outrage at two of Australia’s closest allies, America and Japan.

The China Daily — normally restrained by Chinese Communist Party standards — erupted over US president Joe Biden’s comments that America had a “commitment” to defend Taiwan if it was invaded by Beijing.

“His remarks once again highlight Washington … clings to the dregs of its Cold War mentality like an alcoholic nursing the final drops in his last bottle,” the China Daily wrote in another post-Quad editorial.

Tokyo got a spray in a separate editorial for hosting the summit.

“Even though Tokyo is well aware that the Quad will make Japan a tool, along with India and Australia, for Washington to threaten China’s security at the costs of regional peace and stability, it was still happy to host the Quad summit on Tuesday,” the China Daily huffed.

Australia will hold next year’s leaders’ meeting of the Quad, with India expected to host the fourth summit in 2024