McGowan says he sought premiers’ delegation – not national cabinet – to visit China

WA Premier Mark McGowan says he never called for a national cabinet meeting to be held in China, instead clarifying that he wanted a repeat of Tony Abbott’s 2014 delegation to the nation.

WA Premier Mark McGowan. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Philip Gostelow

WA Premier Mark McGowan says he never called for a national cabinet meeting to be held in China, instead clarifying that he wanted a repeat of Tony Abbott’s 2014 delegation to the nation.

Mr McGowan said the initial report about the national cabinet idea in The West Australian newspaper – the only media outlet to accompany him on his China visit – was incorrect. Mr McGowan also said he had raised the cases of detained Australians Cheng Lei and Yang Jun in a one-hour meeting with China’s vice foreign affairs minister.

The initial report suggesting Mr McGowan wanted to hold a national cabinet in China triggered a firestorm of criticism, with the idea ridiculed by foreign policy and security experts.

But Mr McGowan said he didn’t want to see a national cabinet, but a delegation to China of premiers led by the prime minister, similar to initiatives such as those by Malcolm Turnbull to Washington in 2018 and by Mr Abbott to China almost a decade ago. He said including premiers in a prime ministerial delegation to China would help improve relationships between the countries.

“The premiers and chief ministers often have connections and involvements economically that the commonwealth doesn’t have. Airlines, tourism operators, student travel organisations, with iron ore companies, gas companies with renewable energy operators,” he said. “I never said there should be a meeting of the national cabinet in China, I’ve never said anything of the sort.”

He said he had discussed the plights of Ms Lei and Dr Yang with China’s vice foreign affairs minister. “I … said it would be in the interest of both countries if the matter can be resolved as soon as possible and if they could be returned to Australia,” he said.