Treasurer Josh Frydenberg hits back at China ‘bully’ talk

Josh Frydenberg has hit back at Xi Jinping’s declaration that the ‘strong should not bully the weak’ and has warned Australia will not ‘compromise on our ­values’.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg. Picture: David Geraghty

Josh Frydenberg has hit back at Xi Jinping’s declaration that the “strong should not bully the weak” and has warned Australia will not “compromise on our ­values”.

The Treasurer said he agreed with the Chinese President’s sentiment that “big nations should not bully small ones”, but called out the “disconnect ­between the words and the ­actions”.

“The reality is, Australia has been on the receiving end of some pretty harsh actions when it comes to trade, but we won’t compromise on the national ­interest, we won’t compromise on our values,” Mr Frydenberg said.

“As you know, China released a list of various demands that they had on Australia, those are non-negotiable issues for us.

“The fact that a politician, elected democratically into the parliament, should have a right to speak as they see fit.

“The fact that we are taking decisions on foreign investment that are very much in our national interest and, of course, on human rights, we continue to speak out when there are injustices as we’ve done in the past, as we’ll do in the future.”

Australia and China have been at loggerheads for months as tensions rose following Canberra’s call for an independent inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus without forewarning Beijing.

China responded in May by imposing an 80 per cent tariff on Australian barley exports, leading the Morrison government in December to take a case against China to the World Trade ­Organisation.

On Tuesday, in a speech made at the World Economic Forum, Mr Xi made his most significant address on foreign policy since Joe Biden’s election.

Mr Xi said: “Difference in ­itself is no cause for alarm. What does ring the alarm is ­arrogance, prejudice and hatred; it is the ­attempt to impose ­hierarchy on human civilisation or to force one’s own history, culture and social system upon ­others.”

Chinese state media, including the Chinese Communist Party controlled Global Times, described Mr Xi’s speech as “a stern repudiation” and “notably sharp-toned … clearly aimed at policies orchestrated by the US government”.