Australia and China vow to work on repairing bilateral relationship

[webfact]

Australia and China vow to work on repairing bilateral relationship

By Colin Packham

 

FILE PHOTO: Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison addresses the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York City, New York, U.S., September 25, 2019. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

 

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia and China said they will work together to repair their bilateral relationship, tarnished by allegations that Beijing has committed cyber-attacks and has attempted to interfere in Canberra's domestic affairs.

 

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met on Sunday in Thailand ahead of the East Asia Summit, where both promised to try and improve the relationship worth more than A$180 billion ($124 billion) in two way trade last year.

 

"I feel very strongly and committed to improving that relationship and ensuring we realise its full potential," Morrison told Li ahead of the meeting, according to a transcript seen by Reuters.

 

The meeting comes just days after China lodged a formal compliant after Australia's Foreign Minister Marise Payne said Canberra would hold Beijing to account on its human rights record.

 

China has been widely condemned for setting up complexes in remote Xinjiang it describes as "vocational training centres" intended to stamp out extremism and teach new skills.

 

The United Nations says at least 1 million ethnic Uighurs and other Muslims have been detained.

 

Payne's comments were the latest in a series of Australian rebukes of China in recent months.

 

Australian Minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton last month said China was targeting political parties and universities in Australia, drawing a strong reaction from Beijing.

 

In September, Reuters reported Australian intelligence had found China was responsible for a cyber-attack on the national parliament and three largest political parties earlier this year.

 

China's foreign ministry denied involvement in any hacking attacks and said the internet was full of theories that were hard to trace.

 

While Chinese tensions loom over Australia's economy, Morrison is scheduled to try and secure an agreement on what could become the world’s largest trade bloc.

 

Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders are trying to reach a deal with Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan, South Korea and India on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) — which could become the largest global trade pact in history.

 

Morrison will meet on Monday with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is under pressure domestically to reject the deal.

 

($1 = 1.4476 Australian dollars)

 

(Reporting by Colin Packham. Editing by Lincoln Feast.)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-11-04

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[bluesofa]

"...and the fish that got away was this big, I swear."

[pegman]

Seems Oz realized what side their bread was buttered on.

[mfd101]

1 hour ago, pegman said:

Seems Oz realized what side their bread was buttered on.

Nothing new in that. The difficulty comes in trying to reconcile the cash register with the security blanket.

[hugocnx]

I'd rather read Australia and China vow to work on repairing Chinese <deleted> products

[zydeco]

11 hours ago, webfact said:

"I feel very strongly and committed to improving that relationship and ensuring we realise its full potential," Morrison told Li ahead of the meeting, according to a transcript seen by Reuters.

Grovel.

[rhodie]

48 minutes ago, zydeco said:

Grovel.

Maybe a grovel, but maybe playing these so called "developing countries" at their own game. China talks big all day long, but is still gaming the west big time. Go and visit. Property prices in Beijing and Shanghai are way ahead of Sydney prices like for like. Yes, overall it is cheaper there, but they are a prosperous nation. A bit like Thailand using bilateral agreements. I can buy Leo in Australia for $38 a case. The local equivalent, VB, is $50 a case. Yet, here I have to pay $50 for 3 litres of fruit wine at 10% imported from Australia but I can buy it in Sydney for less than $10. Sounds unilateral to me. We in the west are being taken to the cleaners. At least Trump is giving them a serve. Hopefully the rest wake up sooner than later. ???? 

[Traubert]

2 hours ago, rhodie said:

Maybe a grovel, but maybe playing these so called "developing countries" at their own game. China talks big all day long, but is still gaming the west big time. Go and visit. Property prices in Beijing and Shanghai are way ahead of Sydney prices like for like. Yes, overall it is cheaper there, but they are a prosperous nation. A bit like Thailand using bilateral agreements. I can buy Leo in Australia for $38 a case. The local equivalent, VB, is $50 a case. Yet, here I have to pay $50 for 3 litres of fruit wine at 10% imported from Australia but I can buy it in Sydney for less than $10. Sounds unilateral to me. We in the west are being taken to the cleaners. At least Trump is giving them a serve. Hopefully the rest wake up sooner than later. ???? 

It's all about the grog cobber. ????

[BestB]

Like it or not, but Australia needs China not to mention half of Australia is Chinese owned by now

[car720]

9 hours ago, zydeco said:

Grovel.

Grovel is not a strong enough word.  Poor old Bob was a drunk but he was straight.  This guy is a sanctimonious crook and fraud who will sell what they don't already own to them as quick as look.  Once these guys  have made their bundle they will easily abandon Australia and go and live in style on the Costa del Sol with the money they have skimmed.  Can I have a hallelujah?

[mfd101]

9 hours ago, BestB said:

Like it or not, but Australia needs China not to mention half of Australia is Chinese owned by now

You might want to note that China needs Australia's exports too. That's why deals are possible. It's called trade. Win-win.

 

Something Trump doesn't understand, with his childish playground attitude of I win You lose.

[mfd101]

3 hours ago, car720 said:

Grovel is not a strong enough word.  Poor old Bob was a drunk but he was straight.  This guy is a sanctimonious crook and fraud who will sell what they don't already own to them as quick as look.  Once these guys  have made their bundle they will easily abandon Australia and go and live in style on the Costa del Sol with the money they have skimmed.  Can I have a hallelujah?

If you think Bob Hawke was 'straight' (in the sense of non-corrupt), you have little understanding of how he operated. Always surrounded by Big Men, rich and supportive, always seeking deals to feather his own nest ...

 

As for ScoMo, your prediction of his future (if that's what it is) is about as accurate as a prediction that Xi Jinping is about to retire to a nunnery in Vatican City.

[car720]

1 hour ago, mfd101 said:

If you think Bob Hawke was 'straight' (in the sense of non-corrupt), you have little understanding of how he operated. Always surrounded by Big Men, rich and supportive, always seeking deals to feather his own nest ...

 

As for ScoMo, your prediction of his future (if that's what it is) is about as accurate as a prediction that Xi Jinping is about to retire to a nunnery in Vatican City.

Take a better look at what happened over Bob and Paul's timeline.

ScoMo is a bible thumping twit.

If you want to talk about Xi Jinping first you have to live in China for a few years.

Better still have a chat with Kevin Rudd who has done both.

Edited November 5, 2019 by car720

[steven100]

On another note regarding Australia's economy :

 

[rhodie]

13 hours ago, Traubert said:

It's all about the grog cobber. ????

Just an example cobber. ????  Have a look at pasta sauce. Same bottle is $7 in Big C. I can get it in Woolies for $2 to $3. ???? 

 

But it's all the same. Every import is more than double.

[Traubert]

6 hours ago, rhodie said:

Just an example cobber. ????  Have a look at pasta sauce. Same bottle is $7 in Big C. I can get it in Woolies for $2 to $3. ???? 

 

But it's all the same. Every import is more than double.

Yeah the import taxes are a sod. A simple bar of decent chocolate is two and a half British quid where I live. A bloody Mars Bar is one and a half. ????