Chinese state media praises Anthony Albanese, accuses Peter Dutton of ‘beating the drums of war’

Beijing accused Australia of ‘paranoia’ over a Chinese research vessel, as a government-owned masthead suggests the Chinese government’s preferences in the May 3 election.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Peter Dutton at Parliament House in Canberra last year. Picture: AFP

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Chinese state media has accused Peter Dutton of “beating ‘the drums of war’ against China” and praised Anthony Albanese for speaking the “truth”, as Beijing said it maintains a position of “noninterference” in elections after a Chinese deep sea research vessel sailed into the Australian campaign.

The passage of the Tan Suo Yi Hao, a Chinese research vessel, along the south coast of Australia has been the centre of a loud debate during the first week of the election campaign, with the Opposition leader accusing the Prime Minister of a “wet lettuce” response. Security analysts warn the vessel has dual purpose military applications and was likely studying Australia’s undersea oceanography for the benefit of the PLA navy.

Asked on Wednesday afternoon about the praise from Beijing, Mr Albanese said: “I stand up for Australia’s national interest. That’s what I do each and every day.”

Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister accused the Opposition Leader of “hypocrisy”, noting the Coalition government’s greenlighting of the sale of the Port of Darwin to a Chinese company and a visit by the PLA Navy to Sydney Harbour in 2019.

“If Peter Dutton had been in Kirribilli House -- those harbourside views he wants so much -- he could have looked out the window and seen a Chinese naval ship at Garden Island,” Mr Albanese said.

The Opposition Leader on Wednesday continued to criticise the Prime Minister for “projecting weakness”, arguing that the Australian Defence Force – not the Border Force – should be monitoring the Chinese research ship as it circumnavigates Australia.

“We’ve got the Prime Minister saying one thing, the Defence Minister saying another about whether it’s Border Force or whether it’s Defence or who’s got the lead here and who’s providing the surveillance,” Mr Dutton told Sky News.

In a statement released on Wednesday afternoon, a spokesman at China’s Embassy in Canberra said Chinese diplomats had maintained “close communication” with Australian officials about the vessel.

The Chinese embassy spokesman criticised Australian media reporting for “smearing” the research activities of the vessel, which it said had “nothing to do with China-Australia relations, let alone the Australian federal election”.

“China always upholds the principle of noninterference in other countries’ internal affairs, and does not want to participate in, interfere with, or comment on Australia’s election,” the Chinese embassy spokesman said.

In a pointed piece published overnight, Beijing’s Global Times said Australian paranoia and political opportunism were “hijacking” the relationship.

“Some Australian politicians just don’t get it. They try to block the improvement of China-Australia relations, constantly spewing harmful rhetoric and hijacking the relationship, only for their personal benefit,” the Chinese state owned masthead editorialised.

“China is not a threat. On this point, Australia can sleep soundly. It does not have to be this paranoid,” the state media masthead wrote.

A Chinese research ship, the Tan Suo Yi Hao, has sailed into Australian waters as the country prepares to head to the polls. Picture: Supplied

Coming weeks after a PLA navy flotilla circumnavigated Australia and conducted live-fire drills under a busy flight path between Australia and New Zealand, the Chinese research vessel has again exposed the extreme lack of trust between China and Australia, despite a three-year “stabilisation” process led by the Albanese government.

Mr Albanese has tried to downplay the passage of the Chinese vessel, which had recently conducted deep sea survey work in a joint project with New Zealand and was praised on China’s national broadcaster CCTV.

In his initial response on Monday, the Prime Minister said he “would prefer that it wasn’t there”, but noted that Australian navy ships routinely operate in the South China Sea and in the Taiwan Strait.

Chinese researchers praised the Australian Prime Minister’s approach.

“Albanese spoke the truth, while to some extent highlighting the double standards of some Australian politicians and media,” Xu Shanpin, an adjunct research fellow at the China University of Mining and Technology, told the Global Times.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a 30-minute bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 2024. Picture: Supplied

In contrast, the Global Times said Mr Dutton was exploiting the issue for political gain ahead of the election.

“For the opposition, especially its leader Dutton, this election could be his last chance to run for office. That’s why Dutton has begun beating ‘the drums of war’ against China again,” the state masthead said.

Beijing officially refuses to comment on other countries’ elections, but its state media routinely reveals its apparent preferences.

An editorial in the China Daily last November advised other American allies to learn from Mr Albanese, praising his “strategic autonomy” amid “unprecedented geopolitical complexity and uncertainty” after the election of Donald Trump.

“Australia’s ties with China deteriorated when the previous Australian government fell under Washington’s anti-China spell,” the China Daily said. “But Canberra has woken up to the significance of those ties under the Albanese government and set out repairing them.”

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun.

Internal party analysis found concern among many Chinese-Australian voters had contributed to the loss of Liberal seats in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. Those seats are being targeted by both major parties in this campaign.

On Monday, the Chinese foreign ministry said China’s vessels always act “in accordance with international law” and urged Australia to have “a right understanding of this and stop the groundless suspicion and speculations”.

Asked by The Australian if China would send any more vessels to Australia ahead of the May 3 election, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun reiterated that China only conducts “normal activities at sea”.

“At the same time, China always upholds the principle of non-interference in other countries’ domestic affairs,” he said.

Additional reporting: Ben Packham, Noah Yim

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