Opposition Foreign Affairs Minister Accuses Australian PM of Inflaming Tensions with China theepochtimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from theepochtimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Australian PM says trade volumes show China values bilateral relationship Reuters 5 hrs ago
By Colin Packham
CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has pointed to strong trade with China as evidence of an ongoing relationship despite Beijing s criticism of Canberra, as opposition Labor accused him of using alarmist rhetoric for domestic political gains.
Bilateral ties have sunk to their lowest point in decades, and China has in recent months moved to restrict imports of Australian products such as barley, wine and beef after Morrison led calls for a global inquiry into the origins of COVID-19.
But Morrison said sales of other commodities illustrate the relationship has not broken down.
Updated: 19/05/2021, 1:45 pm
Boris Johnson has dismissed farming industry fears that a post-Brexit trade deal with Australia and New Zealand could knock many out of business.
Scottish farmers are concerned that a free-trade deal with our Commonwealth cousins could result in small family farms being unable to compete with a flood of cheap food imports.
National Farmers Union Scotland President Martin Kennedy said this morning that any deal which gave unfettered access to the British market would be viewed as a “betrayal” of the industry.
“We’re seriously worried about any sort of fool liberalisation or unfettered access from a country like Australia because that threatens not only the prices but the way we farm here”, he said.
SOURCE / GT VOICE
By Global Times Published: May 19, 2021 08:53 PM
Illustration: Xia Qing/GTYou can never wake a person who pretends to be asleep, a proverb highly recommended for some Australian politicians and business leaders, who recently surfaced to blame the Morrison administration for going too far in attacking or confronting China.
Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong accused the Morrison government of jeopardizing China-Australia relationship by using alarmist rhetoric for domestic political gain, Australia s ABC reported on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the Australian business community has expressed their frustration more directly with the bilateral ties, which is at its lowest ebb in decades.