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Australia says China ignoring its calls to ease trade tension

31 Comments
By Lidia Kelly

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Beijing continues to make mistakes. It should correct its wrong actions and apologize.

Australia called for a full and independent investigation into the covid-19 virus to find out what can be learned from its first discovery and the actions that the world took and when, so that in future a better response can be employed. This is a medical investigation. China continues to make it a political issue missing the point completely.

Along with that error China continues to use coercion in dealing with the Australian calls for a medical investigation, by using trade as a stick. It has done the same to South Korea, Singapore, Japan and others for other issues it did not like. Trump uses similar tactics so China is not alone in this regard but it does not make it good international behavior, nor is it right.

Country's that use such tactics should face fines and should be removed from positions of influence in world bodies as punishment. Remove China and America from the position of permanent Security Council members in the UN until they return to being good International citizens. In fact there should no longer be any permanent members with veto power. Playing favorites to five nations just shows the world is still far from equal and I find that unacceptable.

25 ( +27 / -2 )

The world must take this opportunity to teach China that we do no longer accept their bullying.  That we do not need their poor quality products and their fake " humanitarian assistance ". 

And also can they please not export their viruses anymore ?  What is the problem by the way to call it China or Wuhan virus ?  We had the Spanish flu ( Spain does not complain) The HK flu ( never heard them complain ) Kawasaki disease ( even did not hear complaint about that here in Japan).

How about you say sorry first Mr XI ? And offer compensation. Even only as a gesture as it would not be possible to compensate actual monetary value. 

But keep that big mouth shut until you clean up your mess.

21 ( +24 / -3 )

Typical bully attitude from China. Hopefully the world will unite and insist on an investigation to the source of the virus. Time for China to change their ways.

18 ( +19 / -1 )

Usual Chinese tactic of merging trade and political issues to it's advantage. Seriously about time theentire world dished it back to them.

16 ( +19 / -3 )

China's a bully sure but it confidently holds all the cards when dealing with the world.

Australia is all talking tough here but notice that they are still using cautious terms to appear firm but in reality they are just kowtowing to China and making sure they are not offending their masters too much.

It is the same everywhere around the world, politicians talk all big about going toe to toe with China yet eventually all those hypocrite cowards soon come crawling back to China.

Money will always override any principles or morality.

7 ( +11 / -4 )

Usual Chinese tactic of merging trade and political issues to it's advantage.

sound very much like a US tactic to me.

Money will always override any principles or morality.

exactly and this is why China will continue to be the factory of the world and manufacturing will never

return to the 1st world countries that complain the most. Look Im not insinuating China is guilt free in all matters of trade but people have to come to realise China certainly isnt the pushover it once was 30yrs ago, both economically and militarily, some just have to come to the realisation that that cant get their own way as they once expected

-6 ( +5 / -11 )

The Chinese are making comments about their students won't be studying in Australia, what Australians have noticed is when the borders were initially closed it didn't affect Main St Australia only the various China Towns they turned into Ghost Towns.

Farmers have made comment about losing the Chinese markets, but there are others opening up - an agreement has just been signed with Indonesia, granted its not as large but at least half of China still lives in poverty.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

Australia is all talking tough here but notice that they are still using cautious terms to appear firm but in reality they are just kowtowing to China.

Australia continues to call for a full investigation on the covid-19 virus so I don't see how that translates into Australia kowtowing to China. I think you got that call wrong.

11 ( +11 / -0 )

They will never allow international investigations and will never admit their fault. If they admit, Xi will lose his position. That is their political system.

11 ( +12 / -1 )

All nations need to support an independent investigation into the Covid-19 virus to hopefully prevent a similar outbreak in the future, including China. It's for our children and grandchildren, get on with it.

10 ( +10 / -0 )

The world should stand together against China until a proper and clear answer is given how the Virus was orginated.

China is and was always a bully and a pain in the...

Now its time for the world to stand together against that Bully.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

 Kawasaki disease ( even did not hear complaint about that here in Japan).

Kawasaki is the name of the doctor who discovered the disease, nothing to do with Japan.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

I hope Australia shows some backbone and does not cave in to the CCP.

5 ( +9 / -4 )

Monty:

The world should stand together against China

I think we should be more specific. The world should stand together against the CCP regime in mainland China. At the same time, the world should support Taiwan. Which is also "China". In confusing "China" with the "CCP" we are falling into a verbal trap.

3 ( +7 / -4 )

@Zaphod

Yes you are right!

I mean the CCP regime in mainland China.

I always support Taiwan and also Hongkong with all their demonstrations against the CCP of mainland China.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

The irony of it all is that if Chinese did eat normal, civilized food like beef, they wouldnt have to eat rubbish like bats, frogs, pangolins and so on, and endanger the world with viruses.

Communist China is only hurting its own people by this complete ban on Australian beef. If the world stands up to Communist China, and puts huge taxes on ALL Chinese products, the Western world (and Japan) CAN win long term. Companies like Apple, to use an example, should be taxed out of existence if they continue manufacturing operations in China.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

While I support the call for an independent investigation and agree the world needs to stand up to the CCP bullying trade tactics, there would be little leverage on trade if we all didn’t buy their cheap goods.

So as a matter of interest, who among the posters here will be checking where their next cheap purchase was made and rejecting it if made in China?

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

So as a matter of interest, who among the posters here will be checking where their next cheap purchase was made and rejecting it if made in China?

If I see an alternative, I absolutely do that. Alas, many of our supply chains have become dependent on CCP China. It is up to our politicians to change that. Abe paying Japanese companies to relocate out of CCP China and Trumps tarrifs are good first steps. And we should shame the companies like Apple and Google who support the CCP.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Apparently the Rule of Law is a petty concern.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Andrew CrispToday 03:38 pm JST

The Chinese are making comments about their students won't be studying in Australia, what Australians have noticed is when the borders were initially closed it didn't affect Main St Australia only the various China Towns they turned into Ghost Towns.

Farmers have made comment about losing the Chinese markets, but there are others opening up - an agreement has just been signed with Indonesia, granted its not as large but at least half of China still lives in poverty.

Wow, such an uninformed comment, on so many levels too.

Tell us almighty, Andrew, just how much no Chinese students are really costing the Australian economy, really? Is it 3 billion or 4 billion?

The Indo market, is that not one of the markets we stopped shipping to a little while ago?

50% of the Chinese people are living in poverty? Are you always prone to use statistics that are 20 years old?

How come 80% of Chinese people can by their houses with cash?

This fools lost comments aside, China has been provoked endlessly by America's sycophant. There has been many straws that China has had to bear, war games in the South China Sea two weeks ago, for example, on top of many years of threats.. I guess one can only take so much before they call out the buffoon in the room. We need China more than China needs us. People pissing and moaning about cheap Chinese products and our reliance on them forget very quickly that it is foreign companies and corporations that make these things for us to consume. iPhone are not Chinese, are they you fools? Sidcrome is not Chinese.. Bosch Security Systems are not Chinese.. They are all made there for greedy corporations, businesses and companies and these in turn are pushed by greedy investors.. We in the west rape the Chinese labour force and then have the gall to complain about China's influence?

China does not bomb countries and steal their resourses like we in the west do, yet we somehow find that offensive? Please!

You there in Japan, a country that attacked and occupied China in a most horrendous way, have no right to call China;s lack of aggression, aggression. China has a right to defend itself from the world biggest terrorist country and its whores as it is surrounded by aggression and saber rattling.

Japan has been trying for years to break the occupation that rapes school girls and starves Okinawa and various areas in mainland Japan with impunity. The Japanese should be the first to call this witch hunt what it is, a witch hunt.

Shame on all of you for being so clueless.

-7 ( +3 / -10 )

Because China did not want to response to its Australian counterpart's request for a talk, Australia reserves the right to take China to the WTO. Yesterday, the Trade Minister Simon Birmingham warned that China's "unpredictable" trade interventions may force Australian farmers to sell to other markets and that would be a risk of trade with China.

China's bullying tactic will not succeed. Morrison stood firm on his call for a global inquiry into the COVID outbreak regardless of China's "economic coercion:"

"We draw very clear lines about things that are very important to us, as does the Chinese government."

"And we respect their lines, as we expect our lines to be respected, whether it's on our foreign investment rules, or our rules around technology, our rules regarding human rights and things of that nature.

"I don't think any Australian would want us to compromise on those important things. And those things are not to be traded. Ever.

"Now, our Government is very clear about these things, and we will always continue to be clear. And these are not things to be traded."

2 ( +3 / -1 )

From what I have read, the official Chinese government position is that the live animal markets where this latest virus is thought to have jumped to humans are now outlawed. That would seem to be a logical thing to do. As to claims from Trump and his loyal followers that this virus was made in a Chinese military lab, even America's own intelligence agencies have said that idea is without merit.

What we are seeing on the world stage is the result of having a fool in the White House. If there is a God in heaven, then in less than nine months Joe Biden will be sworn in as president, and sanity and morality will return to the international stage. No doubt, sociopath Putin will do everything he can to keep Trump in the Oval Office.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

What perplexes me is if the Chinese govt. just chilled out and weren't so damn pushy (or sensitive) they could have continued to build their economy and their place in the world, instead now there's growing resentment to them and their ambitions. And denying their part in the covid19 fiasco just adds to the negativity surrounding them.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Australia decided to join in the gang trying to frame China for Trump and friends criminal stupidity.

China decided to fire a warning shot at that gang by slapping Australia where it hurts.

Birmingham's problem is the Trump acolyte in Canberra, and that none of the Trump gang's attempts to transfer the blame to China factors in that China holds the winning hand (The facts don't sustain the effort) AND has the deepest pockets.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

PS, Morison may feel emboldened because China doesn't use the American 'regime change' tactic, but that doesn't mean that the country that has CENTURIES of experience at being the Imperium at the center of trade doesn't know how to play the game to win, it just means it knows how a bit of delayed gratification can pay off in the longer term.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Chinese ambassador to Israel found dead... Australia's trade spat is going to pale in comparison to WW3 that this ambassador's assassination is going to trigger...

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

I have been doing my best for the last 24 years to avoid buying products made in China. In the beginning it was easy, but now it's very hard as more and more products are ONLY manufactured there.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

@Paul,

I have been doing my best for the last 24 years to avoid buying products made in China. In the beginning it was easy, but now it's very hard as more and more products are ONLY manufactured there.

Your dilemma is also that of many conscious people around the world. I hope and also believe that thing is about to change since the COVID 19 outbreak. The world should start to produce their own essentials even the cost is higher than buying from China. Next, numerous products designed and produced by the Chinese state owned enterprises (SOE) must be avoided for security reasons.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Australia decided to join in the gang trying to frame China for Trump and friends criminal stupidity.

Australia lead the calls for a full and independent medical inquiry regarding the Covid-19 virus.

The fact that both China itself, and America both try to politisize the issue of covid-19 is irrelevant to the issue of a medically driven "fully independent" inquiry.

China does not like the worlds spotlight on it unless it has full control over what that looks like, which is why it is against any independent inquiry, and why it tries to turn such an inquiry into a political issue, making out that it is the victim of an American lead conspiracy. The fact is this virus was first identified in China by Chinese doctors so that is the natural starting point for any worthwhile investigation into this virus, how it acts and who could be patient zero.

China needs to wake up to itself and realize the world needs answers not propaganda, because it is likely not going to be the last pandemic the human race will ever face. The opportunity to develop a better response on a world scale is right now, with honest open dialog and facts. China can play a huge part in this planning as it has been first in responding to the current pandemic.

China is allowing Trump to manipulate it into playing its cards wrong.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

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