China welcomes business olive branch
Foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian says Australia government should heed ‘rational’ business voices who want to calm tensions.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian has welcomed comments by Australian Industry Group Innes Willox who warned Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade officials that Australia needed to calm tensions with Beijing.
Mr Willox said that Australia faced a ”day of reckoning” between its security and economic relationships in an address to DFAT officials last Thursday, arguing that business was alarmed at suggestions of conflict.
Mr Zhao said that China had noticed “more and more visionary people in Australia” expressing their concerns over the direction of the Australia/China relationship and “calling on the Australian government to reflect on its China policy.”
Asked about Mr Willox’s comments, Mr Zhao said that Mr Willox was “putting forward very valuable suggestions.”
“We hope the Australian government will face squarely the crux of the setbacks of the bilateral relations, take China’s concerns seriously and heed rational voices. Australia should set aside the cold war mentality and ideological bias, and do more things that are conducive to mutual trust and co-operation and are in line with the China-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership.”
Mr Willox said it was important to ensure that negotiation, common sense and diplomacy did not fundamentally fail.
“Let us all work and use our links to ensure it does not come to that. You will hear no talk of ‘drums of war’ from Australian business,” he said.
Responding on Wednesday, Mr Zhao said that “for quite some time, the Australian government had repeatedly made provocative and confrontational moves on such issues of China’s core interests and major concerns as those related to Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Taiwan.”
“This has severely undermined the political trust and co-operation foundation between the two sides.”
More Coverage
War will end when Israel’s foes stop attacking it
Hamas began hostilities on October 7 when it invaded southern Israel and began slaughtering and kidnapping Israelis. Only an evil or foolish leader would start a war. But nations are entitled to defend themselves against attack.
Australia is not the same country — but too many are in denial
Since the October 7 attacks, Australian values have been traduced. What is happening affects the entire country and the collective impact is profound.