The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Australian Prime Minister John Morrison is quoted as saying that Australia wants to build a better relationship with China. He described Beijing’s trade sanctions as “like the traditional Chinese lion dance,” mostly for “dramatic effect. (By Derek Fong)
Asked if Beijing’s economic coercion was similar to the traditional Chinese lion dance, which is more of a dance than a bite, Morrison reportedly replied, “I don’t think that’s an unfair analysis. (But) it’s harder to make (that argument) now than it was a few years ago.”
Morrison said, “There can be a lot of moves that come up to shape the diplomatic climate, but at the end of the day, the (Australia-China) relationship continues.”
Australia-China relations have deteriorated sharply since Australia banned Huawei from its 5G network and proposed an independent investigation into the source of New Crown pneumonia. The Chinese government has imposed mandatory restrictions on Australian beef, barley, wine, coal, copper, cotton, seafood, sugar and timber, and warned students and tourists against traveling to Australia, claiming violent racism in the country.
Last week, the Global Times, a media outlet owned by China’s Communist Party, said Beijing could bring “more disaster” to the Australian economy if Australia continues to increase defense spending.
But Morrison stressed that the two countries are still engaging with each other.
Morrison said, “Just look at trade alone – our trade is still strong. That’s kind of like a proof point.” He said, “All that said, there’s still a lot of value in the relationship between the two countries.”
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australia’s merchandise exports to China totaled $145.05 billion in 2020, down $3.3 billion, or just 2.2 percent, from the previous year’s record high.
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