Australia is gaining support from international allies as tensions between China and Australia continue to escalate. The Transnational Parliamentary Coalition on China Policy (IPCC), a group of parliamentarians from 19 different countries, released an online video calling for the purchase of Australian wine to reduce the impact of the Chinese government’s punitive tariffs on Australian wine and to counter China’s bullying diplomacy. Taiwan has also responded positively.
Last Friday (November 27), the Chinese government announced a 212% punitive anti-dumping tariff on Australian red wine, which is expected to deal a severe blow to the Australian wine industry. According to the Australian Wine Industry Association figures, by 2020, 30% of Australian wine products will be sold in China.
In opposition to China’s coercive diplomacy, Australia’s allies, including the United States and Taiwan, acted in solidarity with Australia’s wine industry on Tuesday, saying they would buy Australian wine. The U.S. National Security Council issued a statement that Australian wine will be used in the White House banquet this week.
The Transnational Parliamentary Coalition on China Policy, which consists of more than 200 parliamentarians from 19 countries, launched a global campaign to buy Australian wine to confront China’s diplomatic bullying.
Taiwan has also responded. President Tsai Ing-wen said on Wednesday, “When Australia is under great pressure, the government and people of Taiwan will feel the same and will support Australia. The government will assess the most appropriate way to make the Australian people feel the warmth from Taiwan.” Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a tweet that Taiwan supports Australia by buying the wine of freedom. Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan Taiwan-Australia Friendship Association called for the purchase of Australian wine in solidarity.
In recent days, the already tense relationship between China and Australia has escalated. Following China’s announcement of high tariffs on Australian wine in the name of anti-dumping, the two countries are engaged in a heated exchange of words over a tweet by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian accusing Australia of killing innocent people in Afghanistan. At the center of the controversy was a cartoon retweeted in Zhao Lijian’s tweet. China has refused to retract the tweet, ignoring the Australian government’s protests. Australian media hit back on Tuesday, when the Daily Telegraph published a front-page photo of a “tank man” from the June 4, 1989, incident that had gone viral around the world, with a note stating that the photo was real.
China-Australia relations have been strained since 2018 as the Australian government has become wary of China’s political infiltration. Australia’s position calling for an investigation into the origin of the new coronavirus has prompted the threat of economic sanctions by the Chinese government.
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