Australian PM to scrap Belt and Road agreement, experts look ahead
Prime Minister Scott Morrison recently said that Victoria’s controversial Belt and Road Initiative agreement with China is not beneficial to Australia and could be scrapped in a matter of weeks.
Criticism of Victoria’s unauthorized $1.5 trillion Belt and Road agreement with Beijing in 2018 led to the federal government’s determination to legislate a Foreign Relations Act to regulate state alignment with the Commonwealth in foreign affairs.
Under the Foreign Relations Act, the governors and chief ministers of Victoria and other states are required to detail all agreements with foreign countries to the Commonwealth by March 10, which will then be evaluated by the federal government.
I haven’t seen the benefit of it yet,” Morrison told the Herald Sun. What are the benefits, if any, and what is the cost of paying for them?”
Morrison stressed that the review of the agreements will continue. He also said it is very important to be consistent when national governments deal with other governments as a matter of principle.
Feng Chongyi, a China expert at the University of Technology Sydney, told the Epoch Times that Morrison is a representative of the conservative, relatively conservative Liberal Party, who shares the basic platform and policies of former U.S. President Donald Trump, so they are wary of communist countries.
Looking at the future of Australia-China relations, Feng Chongyi believes that the general direction of Australia is to treat the Chinese Communist regime as an adversary, just like the United States, and no longer as an unconditional business and economic partner as before. And Australia has passed legislation to reverse and oppose the intervention and infiltration of the Chinese Communist Party, and the restrictions on investment have been placed on legislation to do so, so this Australia-China Policy will not have a big turn, a big reversal, because it is done by way of legislation.
Google compromises first agreement with major Australian media
Oriental Daily News reported that Australia’s Seven West Media Ltd (SWM) announced on the 15th that Google has reached an agreement with the company and will pay to use their news content in the future, which is the first major Australian media to reach a relevant agreement with Google.
SWM said in a statement that it has entered into a memorandum of understanding with Google to form a long-term partnership in which the company will provide news content to Google’s News Showcase, a news platform launched in Australia earlier this month. He also thanked Australian Prime Minister Morrison, Treasurer Flüdenberg and Australian Competition and Consumer Commission Chairman Sims for facilitating the agreement.
Both Google and Facebook have not commented on Fruttenberg’s comments.
Google, the U.S. Internet company, said earlier that it would stop providing search engine services in Australia if the Australian government forced digital platforms to pay for news republication.
In response to Falun Gong’s petition, Australian foreign minister pledges to protect freedom of worship
The picture shows Australian Foreign Minister Payne.
On February 15, the Australian Parliamentary Standing Committee on Petitions released a written response from Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne to a petition submitted by the Falun Gong group asking the international community to stop the persecution of Falun Gong and the live harvesting of organs by the Chinese Communist Party.
Australian Foreign Minister Payne began by expressing concern about what has happened to the Falun Gong group and reports of organ harvesting and trafficking in China.
She also said that Australia is committed to promoting and protecting human rights, including freedom of religion and freedom of belief for all. Australia will continue to be concerned about religious groups in China, including the Falun Gong group, which continues to be targeted by the Chinese Communist Party because of its beliefs.
“We regularly raise our concerns about this issue with China (CCP), including at ministerial meetings and directly in international forums. We will continue to raise our concerns as serious human rights violations continue to occur.”
Dissatisfied with Biden‘s slow pace of compromise, Xi Jinping is anxious
Little consensus was reached after Biden’s first call with Xi on the 11th. But Xinhua, the Communist Party’s media outlet, had to keep changing the title and put up the press release of the call for three days, with the People’s Daily calling on “both sides to act. According to some commentators, this is another public shout from the Communist Party’s media, and it is clear that the Communist Party’s top management is in a hurry again.
Commentator Zhong Yuan said in an analysis by Epoch Times that commentary articles signed by “Zhong Sheng” are usually written by the People’s Daily after receiving instructions from the highest level. The top brass of the Communist Party knows full well that the “positive signals” released by the so-called summit call are nothing but a lie, and that progress in easing U.S.-China relations has been too slow, with the call highlighting serious differences between the two sides, more like another jam. The Communist Party media has been instructed to make another public shouting match, and it is clear that the Communist Party top brass is in a hurry again.
An article in the People’s Daily repeats Xi Jinping’s words that “if China and the United States work together, it will benefit both sides, but if they fight, it will hurt both sides,” still trying to convince the new U.S. administration to make further concessions as soon as possible.
The Chinese Communist Party again anxiously called for the U.S. to accept equal footing, saying that “as the world’s top two economies and permanent members of the UN Security Council, there is also vast room for cooperation between China and the U.S. in addressing various global issues.
By backing away from Trump’s decoupling policy, Biden has actually softened and conceded, which has unsurprisingly led to the Chinese Communist Party’s pushing back. In the midst of a greater miscalculation is the top of the Chinese Communist Party, and Biden is certainly not exempt from responsibility. Biden’s biggest substantive concession was his avoidance of accountability for the CCP’s concealment of the outbreak, which was not appreciated by the top brass, who not only continued to block the investigation into the source of the virus, but also continued to blame the U.S., trying to push the U.S. into a corner.
On February 14, the Chinese Embassy in the United States issued a statement, saying that “WHO is a multilateral authority in the field of international health, not a playground where people can come and go as they please” and that the U.S. side “has greatly hindered international cooperation in fighting the Epidemic. “I hope the U.S. side will discipline itself to the highest standards.”
Biden’s evasion of accountability for the epidemic failed to get the Chinese Communist Party to back down, but instead caused it to launch a further offensive.
Chinese Communist Party bites back: international cooperation in response to the epidemic, the U.S. dereliction of duty
The Biden Administration issued a statement on the 13th, “deeply concerned” about the Chinese Communist Party’s interference with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) investigation into the possibility of the origin of the Chinese Communist virus (COVID-19). The Chinese government was so upset by this that it launched a fierce attack on the United States on Sunday.
In a statement Sunday, a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington said, “In recent years, the United States has wreaked havoc on multilateral institutions, including the World Health Organization, and has seriously undermined international cooperation on the response to COVID-19. But the U.S. acts as if nothing has happened, and is rampantly accusing other countries that have been faithful supporters of the WHO and the WHO itself. With such a record, how can the U.S. earn the trust of the world?”
“I hope that the U.S. will hold itself to the highest standards, assume its responsibilities in a serious, conscientious, transparent and responsible manner, support the work of WHO with practical actions, and make its due contribution to international cooperation in response to COVID-19.” The statement added that “the whole world will be watching.”
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Saturday called on the Chinese Communist Party to be transparent and provide its data from the early days of the outbreak after a member of the WHO investigation team revealed that the Communist Party had refused to hand over raw data on the earliest cases in Wuhan.
But the Chinese Communist Party didn’t buy the U.S. criticism and immediately pushed back hard. This is closely related to Biden’s attitude. Biden has repeatedly undercut the new hard-line U.S. stance against the CCP. While Biden has been tough on Xi in words, he does not seem willing to deliver on them in deeds. He rejoined the World Health Organization and used taxpayer money to fund it without addressing its use as a propaganda tool for the CCP.
“The epidemic originated in Wuhan!” British Prime Minister has no problem slapping the WHO in the face
Canada and 58 other countries declare their opposition to hostage diplomacy, infuriating the Chinese Communist Party
The Voice of America reports that foreign ministers of a total of 58 countries, including Canada, the United States, Britain, Japan and Australia, signed a Declaration Against Arbitrary Detention in State-to-State Relations on Monday (Feb. 15), rejecting the practice of some countries to take hostages in state-to-state relations. Relations), opposing the detention of foreign nationals by some countries as diplomatic leverage.
The initiative was launched by Canada. Marc Garneau, Canada’s foreign minister, said, “A quarter of countries from every continent have come together to tell those who are arbitrarily detained for their diplomatic interests that they are not alone. We stand with them. This illegal and immoral practice puts citizens of all nations at risk and undermines the rule of law. It is unacceptable and must stop.”
U.S. Secretary of State Blinken said, “I am honored to join Canada and more than 55 other countries in supporting the Declaration Against Arbitrary Detention in State-to-State Relations. Human beings are not bargaining chips. Arrests of people for diplomatic gain must stop now.”
Chinese official media Global Times reported in English that some experts said it was “an act of provocation against China.” “China will not be afraid, nor will it compromise. The diplomatic approach chosen by the Canadian side has never worked before and will never work in the future, and such behavior by the Canadian side will only backfire in the worst possible way.”
A Canadian official said the move was motivated by concerns about the arrests of foreigners in China, Iran, Russia and North Korea.
Kenneth Roth, head of Human Rights Watch, denounced Monday the Beijing government’s appalling role in the hostage diplomacy issue, saying, “The Chinese Communist government’s detention of Canadians Kang Mingkai and Michael Sparvo exemplifies this despicable practice.” He said the Chinese Communist Party has adopted similar tactics against Australian citizens.
Canadian media believe the new declaration could be said to come from a coalition established by Canada to speak out on behalf of the two Canadian hostages.
Asked if the statement was intended to send a message to the Chinese (communist) state, former Canadian Foreign Minister Shang Pengfei said, “My message is to all those arbitrarily detained by the world: your freedom is stolen, but your voice will not be silenced. We stand with you and we will fight for you every step of the way.”
After Canada arrested huawei‘s finance director Meng Wanzhou in 2018 at the request of the United States, China then detained “two Canadian Mikes” – Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. The Canadian government has been accusing China of hostage diplomacy.
Opposition to Beijing Winter Olympics grows, three major countries absent
Recently 180 international human rights groups, members of parliament from the United Kingdom, and Canada, called on countries to join forces to boycott the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. on February 13. 14, Russia, France, and Germany visited the Beijing Winter Olympic Games site. Representatives of envoys from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and other countries did not participate in the trip.
According to the report on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at the invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Beijing Winter Olympic Organizing Committee, ambassadors or senior diplomats from more than 30 countries, including Russia, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Austria, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and Malaysia, went to Zhangjiakou. The report did not mention the envoys of the United States, Britain, Australia and other countries.
Deutsche Welle reported that on February 3, a coalition of 180 human rights groups issued an open letter against the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, calling on world leaders to boycott the 2022 Winter Olympics because of China’s human rights record, stressing that this would prevent athletes from contributing to China’s human rights abuses and crackdowns on dissidents.
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