Australian naval divers have been injured after an “unsafe and unprofessional” run-in with a Chinese warship. The acting prime minister, Richard Marles, on Saturday said the Australian government had expressed “serious concerns” to Chinese officials after the HMAS Toowoomba encountered a People’s Liberation Army-Navy destroyer on Tuesday. The Toowoomba was in international waters in Japan’s exclusive economic zone, having worked to enforce United Nations sanctions, and was on its way to a scheduled port visit when fishing nets became entangled around its propellers. The ship stopped so naval divers could…
Tag: Australian politics
Ex-Liberal candidate denies using donation to influence Morrison government for China
A businessman accused of using a hospital donation to gain political influence was trying to raise the money for healthcare workers and to combat anti-Chinese sentiment during the Covid-19 outbreak, his lawyer claims. Di Sanh Duong, 68, faced the second day of a jury trial in Melbourne on Friday over allegations he used a $37,450 donation, fundraised from members of the Chinese community, to gain influence with a federal minister. He has pleaded not guilty to the commonwealth charge of preparing for or planning an act of foreign interference. Duong’s…
From China’s emissions to Australia’s offshore windfarms, things are moving on climate – some even in the right direction | Adam Morton
If you’re searching for some hope on the climate crisis before the Cop28 UN meeting in Dubai this month, try this: China may be changing direction on pollution earlier than expected. Lauri Myllyvirta, a longtime China analyst now with the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, calculated that CO2 emissions from the world’s biggest national polluter are likely to fall next year and could then go into “structural decline”. While the country’s emissions have increased this year – unsurprisingly, given that Beijing lifted zero-Covid controls at the end…
Tibet’s government-in-exile urges Australia not to ‘compromise’ on China’s human rights record
Australia must not compromise on human rights as it improves its relationship with China because “the truth must be told”, a minister from the Tibetan government in exile has said during a visit to Canberra. Norzin Dolma, a minister of the Central Tibetan Administration based in Dharamshala in India, met Australian MPs from across the political spectrum on Thursday to warn against a “quiet diplomacy” approach to “gross human rights abuses” and “brutal suppression” in Tibet. She also urged the Australian government to use its new Magnitsky-style sanctions laws to…
Australia news live: migrant visa bill passes parliament with Coalition clauses; Optus chief to front Senate hearing
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When Albanese met Xi – inside the diplomatic reset with China – podcast
Last week Anthony Albanese embarked on the first trip to China by an Australian prime minister since 2016, meeting with China’s president, Xi Jinping. This moment signals a diplomatic reset between Australia and China after years of turmoil. Laura Murphy-Oates speaks to Guardian Australia’s political editor Katharine Murphy about her first-hand view of the historic trip and how it serves both Australian and Chinese interests How to listen to podcasts: everything you need to know The Guardian
Katharine Murphy on Anthony Albanese’s China trip – Australian Politics podcast
Guardian Australia’s political editor, Katharine Murphy, discusses her recent trip to China, Chinese-Australian diplomatic relations and Anthony Albanese’s viral Chinese social media nickname with Full Story host Laura Murphy-Oates How to listen to podcasts: everything you need to know The Guardian
Albanese has threaded a needle between the US and China. Now he needs to do the same on Israel-Hamas at home | Katharine Murphy
It’s been a high octane few weeks for the Albanese government when it comes to managing complexity on the global stage. We’ll get to keeping the US engaged in the region, rapprochement in China, and managing climate change and security in the Pacific, shortly. But we need to start our story in Sydney, just over a month ago, at an event that felt like a high-water mark in the relationship between Australia’s federal government and the Islamic community. On 6 October, Anthony Albanese visited the Lakemba Mosque. The prime minister,…
Australia news live: Optus network goes down across nation; trains grind to a halt in Melbourne
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China and Australia agree to new multi-entry visa as Albanese touts improved relationship after thaw
Anthony Albanese is en route to the Pacific Islands Forum after executing a comprehensive diplomatic reset with China which includes an agreement to create a new multi-entry visa to facilitate exchanges and closer links between people. The new visa for visitors and business people was agreed at the conclusion of the Australian prime minister’s meetings with the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, and the premier, Li Qiang, in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People on Monday and Tuesday. In a joint statement released as Albanese left the country, the governments of…