China says it didn’t influence an ‘in danger’ ruling for the Great Barrier Reef
China rejects suggestions it played a role in a draft ‘in danger’ ruling for the Great Barrier Reef as ‘groundless smear and slander’.
China has rejected suggestions it played a role in a draft “in danger” classification for the Great Barrier Reef as “totally groundless smear and slander”.
The Australian revealed this week that Australia was blindsided by the China-chaired UNESCO World Heritage Committee to downgrade the reef’s official health classification without consultation or on-the-ground verification.
Australia faces an uphill battle to overturn the “in-danger” listing at a World Heritage Committee in China meeting next month, with 14 of the body’s 21 members signed up to Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative.
The Australian government believes the decision was politically motivated.
But Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said his country’s government had nothing to do with the listing.
“Some people in Australia have been spreading China-related rumours and disinformation out of ideological bias,” he said.
“In the same vein, what you just mentioned is totally groundless smear and slander.”
The Australian government will heavily lobby members of the committee to push back against the draft ruling, arguing a consistent process is needed to deal with all climate-change-affected World Heritage sites.
Australian officials said there was “some chance” the recommendation could be reversed at a meeting from July 16.
But they conceded the task would be challenging when two thirds of committee members had joined the BRI financing program, putting them in Beijing’s debt.
Australian officials will target state parties such as Italy, which is facing a potential World Heritage downgrade of Venice, to lobby committee members to overturn the ruling.
They will warn other states with World Heritage sites they, too, could face arbitrary rulings.
Ratifying the decision to declare the reef endangered will require at least 14 votes.
Environment Minister Sussan Ley said it was wrong for UNESCO to single out “the best-managed reef in the world”, declaring the draft listing was a “complete subversion” of normal process.
“The Foreign Minister and I had a late-night meeting with the director-general of UNESCO last night and we made very clear our strong disappointment, even our bewilderment, that our officials have been blindsided in the way they have,” she said, referring to Marise Payne.
“Only a week ago, we were reassured that this was not going to occur.”
But a senior UNESCO official told Guardian Australia that Australia had not been provided – either formally or informally – any assurances before the decision was announced early on Tuesday.
“We don’t share (decisions) before they are finalised. That’s the simple truth,” Dr Fanny Douvere said.
“There is no doubt, based on the scientific information, that the Great Barrier Reef is in danger and it is important that the international community is aware of that.”
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