Simon Birmingham slams China ambassador over ‘coercion’

China’s embassy in Canberra is not helping to repair relations between Australia and the Asian superpower, leading Liberal figures say.

Chinese ambassador to Australia Cheng Jingye poses for photographs after holding a press conference at the ambassador's residence in Canberra last year. Picture: AAP

The Morrison government has hit out at China’s embassy in Canberra for escalating tensions between the trading partners, accusing the Asian superpower’s ambassador to Australia Cheng Jingye of launching “threats of coercion.”

Trade Minister Simon Birmingham on Sunday slammed Mr Jingye and the Chinese embassy, after the leaking of an embassy document listing 14 grievances against the federal government, parliament and the Australian media last week.

Mr Cheng threatened boycotts of Australia’s agricultural products, international education system and tourism industries in April over Scott Morrison’s pursuit of a global independent investigation into the origins of COVID-19, which has been followed up by heated rhetoric and a series of trade attacks against Australia by Beijing authorities.

Senator Birmingham said Mr Cheng and the embassy in Canberra had not helped to ease tensions and, despite the embassy’s grievances, the federal government would continue to act in Australia’s national interest.

“I certainly don’t think that a number of the actions from China’s embassy in Australia have been particularly helpful this year. Comments of the ambassador at the start of the year that essentially were threats of coercion,” Senator Birmingham told Sky News.

“These actions in terms of providing lists of documents of claimed grievances, even though they are the types of things that, as I say, any country rightly does in terms of providing for rules around foreign investment to make sure it’s in the national interest, rules to protect critical infrastructure and security provisions in nations.

“That’s something that China does as much as Australia does.”

Mr Cheng and the embassy were approached for comment.

Liberal MP and former ambassador to Israel Dave Sharma said Mr Cheng was following a global trend of Chinese ambassadors taking an increasingly aggressive stance in a series of Western countries, but that it would only serve to harm China’s reputation.