Taiwan says an Australian warship has sailed through the Taiwan Strait, the sensitive and narrow waterway that separates the democratically governed island from China. The ship, which it did not name, entered the strait on Thursday and sailed in a southerly direction, the ministry said on Friday. Taiwan’s military kept watch throughout, the ministry said, without giving details. The Guardian has contacted the Australian government for comment. Euan Graham, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said the Australian navy had previously transited through the Taiwan Strait but…
Tag: Australian politics
‘Respect the facts’: Beijing rejects Australian claims China sonar injured navy divers
The Chinese government has accused the federal government of “making trouble” with “rude and irresponsible” claims about the sonar incident that injured Australian navy divers last week. Beijing overnight rebuffed Canberra’s version of the maritime altercation between two warships off Japan’s coast last Tuesday. China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said overnight: “We hope relevant parties will stop making trouble in front of China’s doorsteps and work with China to preserve the momentum of improving and growing China-Australia ties.” The Australian defence minister, Richard Marles, said on Saturday that several…
Alan Tudge helped set up media event for man accused of foreign interference, trial told
Former federal multicultural affairs minister Alan Tudge was concerned about the “ugly racism” the Australian Chinese community faced as the Covid-19 pandemic took hold in 2020. So when Di Sanh Duong approached him with an offer of donating more than $37,000 raised by the community, Tudge saw it as an opening to counter the negative sentiment by offering to set up a media opportunity. Tudge on Monday gave evidence at a county court trial for Duong who is accused of using a $37,450 donation, fundraised from members of the Chinese…
Labor rejects claim it ‘prioritised photo ops’ over Australian divers in Chinese navy incident
The government has said it appropriately registered a complaint with Beijing about an incident between Australian and Chinese navy ships last week. The deputy Liberal leader, Sussan Ley, had accused Anthony Albanese of “prioritising photo ops” with Xi Jinping rather than taking up the issue. Senior Labor figures are remaining tight-lipped over whether Albanese raised the altercation with Xi during their meeting at the Apec summit, after divers from the HMAS Toowoomba sustained injuries said to be from sonar pulses emitted by a Chinese warship in international waters off Japan.…
Australian naval divers injured after being subjected to Chinese warship’s sonar pulses
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…
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