Australia criticises China pressure for Qantas to change website on Taiwan

[webfact]

Australia criticises China pressure for Qantas to change website on Taiwan

By Colin Packham

 

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop addresses the 72nd United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 22, 2017. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/Files

 

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop on Tuesday criticised China for pressuring Qantas Airways Ltd to change its website to refer to Taiwan as a Chinese territory, in comments likely to ramp up tensions between the two countries.

 

Qantas said on Monday it had decided to comply with a request from Beijing to remove references on their websites or in other material that suggest Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau are part of countries independent from China.

 

Australia's government already adheres to the one-China policy, which means it does not recognise Taiwan as a country.

 

However, Bishop said in an emailed statement that how Qantas structured its website was a matter for the company.

 

"Private companies should be free to conduct their usual business operations free from political pressure of governments," she said.

 

Her comments were later echoed by Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack and Defence Minister Marise Payne, who said businesses should make their own decisions.

 

Speaking in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said she had noted Bishop's comments but that she was not sure what Bishop was trying to say.

 

"Because there is only one China in the world. Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau have always been part of China this is an objective fact and a matter of international consensus," Hua told a daily news briefing.

 

"When it comes to a matter like this it is not a procedural or technical issue but a major political issue," she said.

 

Self-ruled and democratic Taiwan is claimed by Beijing as a Chinese territory, and has become one of China's most sensitive issues and a potential military flashpoint. Hong Kong and Macau are former European colonies that are now part of China but run largely autonomously.

 

Sino-Australian relations have soured in recent months, just two years into a free trade pact after Canberra accused Beijing of interfering in its domestic affairs.

 

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull referenced "disturbing reports of Chinese meddling" when he announced plans in late 2017 to introduce tough new legislation to limit foreign influence, including a ban on offshore political donations.

 

China denied the allegations, and lodged a formal diplomatic protest.

 

Despite sustained Australian lobbying, the row intensified last month when Australia's Treasury Wine Estates Ltd, the world's biggest listed winemaker, said it faced delays at Chinese customs and Canberra said "four or five" other wine exporters had since experienced similar problems.

 

Before the latest comments, analysts had suggested Australia may be forced into offering a concession to Beijing, such as allowing Huawei Technologies Co Ltd to bid to build the country's 5G telecommunications network.

 

Such a move would mark a significant about-turn after Canberra banned the Chinese company from bidding to build Australia's broadband network in 2012, citing concerns over Huawei's rumoured close ties to China's government.

 

Australia has yet to rule Huawei out of the running, and the Chinese firm has ramped up public lobbying.

 

"Companies like Huawei are privately owned, not owned by any committee or any government, and should be looked at and put into a competitive tendering," John Lord, chairman of Huawei's Australia unit, told Australian Broadcasting Corp radio on Monday.

 

(Reporting by Colin Packham; Additional reporting by Philip Wen in Beijing; Editing by Sam Holmes, Richard Pullin and Michael Perry)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-06-05

[tonbridgebrit]

Julie Bishop, do please stop making yourself look ridiculous.  Beijing told Qantas to refer to Taiwan as being part of China, and it's Qantas' decision to do that. If Qantas does not do as Beijing says, well, Beijing has freedom to take whatever action it wants. How about dis-couraging the masses of mainland-Chinese tourists from using Qantas ?


Yes, the decision is up to Qantas. And obviously, Qantas does not want a mass of Chinese to not use Qantas, and so,  Qantas has done what Beijing said. Qantas should now have no fears about a big reduction in passengers due to this.


Julie, what good has your comment to the newspapers done ?  It's had no useful impact. You should have kept your mouth shut. All you've done is made Beijing a little bit angry with your comment. Your comment, that criticised Beijing for putting pressure on Qantas to do this. Let's hope Beijing has forgotten your foolish comment when Beijing and Australia next negotiate trade and other deals. You do realise don't you, that Australia needs trade with China more than China needs trade with Australia.

[Morch]

 

@tonbridgebrit

 

Yes.....so do tell: how is China not the neighborhood a bully? Or, rather, how is your position not supportive of bullying?

 

[lannarebirth]

In the news from 2030, China demands that US airlines stop referring to Australia and New Zealand as independent territories apart from China.

[tonbridgebrit]

4 hours ago, Morch said:

 

@tonbridgebrit

 

Yes.....so do tell: how is China not the neighborhood a bully? Or, rather, how is your position not supportive of bullying?

 

Morch, imagine this.
You've got a business. It might be a night club, a hotel, or a supermarket, or, or an airline. It could be anything. Now, who are your customers ? Do you wish to expand ? Who are your potential customers ? Who do you hope will be your future customers ?

Now then, you've got a company magazine. That magazine of yours, is actually printing something small that is annoying a certain group of customers. You are about to lose some existing customers, more important, you might lose on potential customers. You might feel that the stuff written in your magazine is harmless, it's no big deal. But do you accept, do you believe, it is driving away some customers, and preventing potential future customers ?

Do you feel, that if people are annoyed by your magazine, well, it's their right to refuse to buy your product ? Surely, you accept that ?


And fair enough, if you've got an airline, if you don't want an increasing number of customers from whatever social/ethnic group, well, yes, it's your freedom of choice to carry on annoying them people. Tell them that they are being childish and absurd, tell them that you are going to carry on writing the same stuff in your company magazine. Tell them that it's them who have got it wrong. That's your freedom of choice.


Do you feel, when they refuse to buy your stuff, because you annoyed them, and carried on doing so, does that mean they're being un-reasonable ? Are they bullying you ?  Are they suppose to carry on buying your stuff, if they are annoyed ? Do they deserve a punishment because, because they stopped buying your stuff, on the grounds that they reckoned that you was being an annoying person ?

Edited June 5, 2018 by tonbridgebrit

[tonbridgebrit]

50 minutes ago, lannarebirth said:

In the news from 2030, China demands that US airlines stop referring to Australia and New Zealand as independent territories apart from China.

Well, let's say that actually happens.

Well, the US airlines will certainly have the right/freedom to tell China, tell China to take a running jump. Go and laugh at China, and tell them to have a "reality check".

By 2030, various US airlines might be transporting tens of millions of passengers/customers between China and North America, per year.  There's 1.3 billion people in China, it's the biggest potential market in the world, 2% of 1.3 billion people is 26 million people. Is it reasonable to reckon that by 2030, in an average year, 2% of Chinese people in China go to North America for a holiday ?


Actually, there's no need to worry about China forcing US airlines to declare that Australia and New Zealand are part of China. The Peoples' Republic of China has always claimed that Republic of China (Taiwan) has always been part of China. Peoples' Republic of China has never claimed that Australia and New Zealand to be part of China. That's because Australia and New Zealand are actually, part of Britain. Have you noticed that them Australians and New Zealanders are mainly Brits who went out to live there ?  ?

Edited June 5, 2018 by tonbridgebrit

[zaZa9]

Its forked tongue stuff.

The Australian government has already kow-towed and capitulated  in  that it no longer  recognises  Taiwan as a nation independent of China ...

Then it acts a tad dissettled that Qantas is kow-towing as well.

 

China is playing a long game here and it wont stop - even once it has total control of the South China Sea and all that is within it.

[meinphuket]

Everybody knows that Tibet is an illegally occupied land / colony, and that Taiwan a.k.a. the Rep of China is an independent democracy no matter what the Middle Kingdom's  dictators say. They also illlegally occupy and militarize reefs and atolls in the West Philippine sea, and Vietnam's East sea.

[kamahele]

12 hours ago, tonbridgebrit said:

Julie Bishop, do please stop making yourself look ridiculous.  Beijing told Qantas to refer to Taiwan as being part of China, and it's Qantas' decision to do that. If Qantas does not do as Beijing says, well, Beijing has freedom to take whatever action it wants. How about dis-couraging the masses of mainland-Chinese tourists from using Qantas ?


Yes, the decision is up to Qantas. And obviously, Qantas does not want a mass of Chinese to not use Qantas, and so,  Qantas has done what Beijing said. Qantas should now have no fears about a big reduction in passengers due to this.


Julie, what good has your comment to the newspapers done ?  It's had no useful impact. You should have kept your mouth shut. All you've done is made Beijing a little bit angry with your comment. Your comment, that criticised Beijing for putting pressure on Qantas to do this. Let's hope Beijing has forgotten your foolish comment when Beijing and Australia next negotiate trade and other deals. You do realise don't you, that Australia needs trade with China more than China needs trade with Australia.

So, you believe that China is right to bully Qantas and other airlines into towing their line?

[Morch]

 

@tonbridgebrit

 

Imagine this - someone raises an issue, and you answer to the point.

Lets try again - how does the OP makes China anything but the neighborhood a bully? And how those your post does not express support for bullying (which on other topics and context, you strongly "object" to)?

Edited June 6, 2018 by Morch

[Radar501]

Just checked the Qantas website and did a dry run, booking a trip from Sydney to Taipei.   It still shows up as Taiwan.  Qantas doesn't even fly to Taipei using its own aircraft, but codeshares on China Airlines flights.

 

From 1990 to 1996, Qantas flew to Taipei using its own metal but in the form of a subsidiary named Australia Asia Airlines.     This was to overcome China's objection about foreign nationally owned carriers with whom it shares diplomatic relations with flying to Taiwan.   The airline folded after Qantas was fully privatized, and thus permitted to fly there in its own right as it was no longer owned by the Australian government.

 

BTW, I now and then have to correct my friends, who are not very well-travelled, exactly where I am going on holidays.  "No, it is not Taiwan, it is Thailand."       Does anyone else encounter that sort of confusion?

 

[Morch]

 

Thanks for the above.

 

And yes, the Taiwan-Thailand thing does happen. Best one was in Turkey some years back. Thailand didn't register, and the guy kept repeating Taiwan. Then enlightenment dawned - "Taiwanland! Tsunami! Sex Shop!". 

[tonbridgebrit]

7 hours ago, kamahele said:

So, you believe that China is right to bully Qantas and other airlines into towing their line?

How on earth can this be called bullying ?


Look,  if I've got a bar on planet earth. So, I've said something that offends whatever ethnic/social group. That's my freedom of choice. That ethnic/social group is threatening to not use my bar. What would I say to them ?


I would say them, if it is legal,  I would tell them to take a running jump.  I would tell them that they are being stupid, and I don't want their money. I will tell them that my freedom of speech and opinions are far more important than a bunch of morons getting offended. If they're offended, that's their problem, they can ____ off. I don't give a monkey's if they're offended. I don't want the extra income from them people.

Yes, that's what I would do. Now then, if I want their money, if I remove my so-called "offensive comments", how on earth can I claim that I am being bullied ??  It's absurd if I claim that, surely ??  I'm not being forced to remove the offensive comments, I'm removing the comments because I want the extra money from these people.

Edited June 6, 2018 by tonbridgebrit

[tonbridgebrit]

4 hours ago, Morch said:

 

@tonbridgebrit

 

Imagine this - someone raises an issue, and you answer to the point.

Lets try again - how does the OP makes China anything but the neighborhood a bully? And how those your post does not express support for bullying (which on other topics and context, you strongly "object" to)?

Morch, if you are a bussines, so let's say I'm buying your stuff. Look, if you offend me, if you annoy me, well, I'm not going to buy your stuff. I don't care if you're selling your stuff at a 10% discount compared to everybody else. And if you're selling your stuff at the same price as other people, and your stuff is better quality. Well, I still refuse to buy your stuff, because, because you offended me with comments you wrote in your company magazine. How on earth can anybody claim that I am bullying you. The claim is absurd.

[tonbridgebrit]

2 hours ago, Morch said:

 

Thanks for the above.

 

And yes, the Taiwan-Thailand thing does happen. Best one was in Turkey some years back. Thailand didn't register, and the guy kept repeating Taiwan. Then enlightenment dawned - "Taiwanland! Tsunami! Sex Shop!". 

Morch, shut up reinforcing the stereotype of Thailand being a destination for sex tourists only.  There's loads of tourists turning up in Thailand, and lots of them are not sex tourists. In Pattaya, the place is being flooded by the Chinese tour groups. The vast majority of the Chinese tour groups in Pattaya are not sex tourists.

I really do think that Thailand is trying to get away from this image of being a destination for sex tourists only. Maybe, them Chinese tour groups will help Thailand remove this "unwanted" image.

[Morch]

 

@tonbridgebrit

 

Would it be possible for you to address the actual circumstances, rather than some inane imaginary example?

You routinely criticize and disparage other countries (mostly Western) when they exercise available leverage, often calling such actions "bullying". Somehow, when it comes to China, this is transformed into an acceptable business practice.

 

 

[impulse]

37 minutes ago, tonbridgebrit said:

7 hours ago, kamahele said:

So, you believe that China is right to bully Qantas and other airlines into towing their line?

How on earth can this be called bullying ?

 

Just as a practical matter...

 

Does a China visa get you into Taiwan or Hong Kong?  Does a Hong Kong or Taiwan visa get you into China?  Can you see where some passengers may be confused, hopping onto a plane for "China" and being denied entry because they landed in Taiwan or Hong Kong?   Or denied entry to Beijing or Hong Kong because they got a visa to the other part of "China"?

 

Edited June 6, 2018 by impulse

[Redline]

China needs to be reigned in on a number of fronts.  They have succeeded by stealing, copying, bullying and through corruption.  I give them credit, and they are smart, but now they are buying everything with help from the government.  These are not independent companies, as is suggested.  Time for China to be controlled in there purchasing of both land and business deals

Edited June 7, 2018 by Redline