Eyeing on the 99-year lease of Darwin Port, a Chinese company? Australian Minister of Defence interviewed vaguely expressed his position, Australian media speculated on the next target for breach of contract
[Global Times reporter Ni Hao Zhang Xiaoya] After the Australian government unilaterally tore up the "Belt and Road" cooperation agreement with China, a number of Australian media on the 25th interpreted the words of Defense Minister Peter Dutton in an interview with the media on the same day as the Australian government. The next goal is China’s lease in Darwin.
According to a report by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on the 25th, Dutton replied to the media reporter on the same day that "After Victoria terminated the'Belt and Road' cooperation agreement with Beijing, why didn't you do anything about the Darwin Port Agreement signed in 2015?" The question stated, “There are actually thousands of such cases that need to be reviewed, and the (Australia) Minister of Foreign Affairs is handling all of these cases.” Dutton claimed, “For the case she is reviewing, I am not trying to preemptively or initiate Hint. I think Marys (Australian Foreign Minister Marys Payne) should study these cases. If they are not in our national interest, then she will obviously take action."
Darwin Port is located in northern Australia. It is the closest Australian port to Asia and China, where the U.S. military has military bases.
In 2015, the Northern Territory government leased the Port of Darwin to China's Shandong Landbridge Group for 99 years at a price of 506 million Australian dollars.
This was originally a win-win business transaction. The Northern Territory government has been trying to develop the Port of Darwin for many years, leveraging the rise of Asia to achieve economic recovery.
Landbridge Group's successful high-price bidding actually helped the local area solve the development funding gap.
Later, with changes in the domestic and international situation, the lease of Darwin Port was increasingly considered from the perspective of geopolitics, causing some controversy.
After Dutton's interview made this statement, many Australian media have speculated that China's lease in Darwin Port may become the next target of the Australian government to break the contract.
"The Western Australian" stated in the article title, "Dutton: It is possible to end the lease of China's port." The New Daily also reported on the title "Dutton said China's lease in Darwin Port is not static". The news.
Chen Hong, director of the Australian Studies Center of East China Normal University, told the Global Times reporter on the 25th that although Dutton did not make a clear statement about the review of the Darwin Port lease, he still revealed this possibility.
Therefore, the interpretation of the Australian media did not violate the intention behind Dutton's words.
On December 8, 2020, the Australian Federal Parliament passed the "Foreign Relations Act", which was interpreted by public opinion as a direct reference to many China-related agreements, of which the "Belt and Road" cooperation agreement signed with China bears the brunt.
but.
Australian Foreign Minister Payne once told ABC that China’s lease in Darwin Port will not be reviewed due to the introduction of the new law, because the scope of the new law does not include commercial agreements between companies.
However, Chen Hong believes that under the "Foreign Relations Act", it is also possible for the Australian government to tear up the Darwin Port lease agreement with a Chinese company.
In an interview with ABC on the 25th, Dutton also mentioned the issue of "the possibility of a military conflict between mainland China and Taiwan."
He said, "I think this (Taiwan conflict) should not be underestimated. China's attitude towards reunification is very clear. This is China's long-term goal."
He believes: "Obviously, there is a lot of activity and hostility between Taiwan and China." Regarding the "Taiwan conflict" he mentioned, Dutton said that although Australia's defense forces have been highly prepared to deal with it. Any threats against Australian allies in the region, but the Australian side will still "work hard to maintain peace."
"For us, we want to make sure that we continue to be a'good neighbor' in the region, working with our partners and allies. No one wants to see conflicts in the Taiwan Strait or elsewhere."
Dutton also talked about the importance of maintaining good diplomatic relations in the region, including relations with China.
He said that China is a "very important trading partner", although Australia and China have "different opinions."
On April 21, the Australian government unilaterally tore up the "Belt and Road" cooperation agreement between Victoria and China.
On the 23rd, Jeff Scott, an executive of the Australian Table Grape Association, said that their products had been delayed in customs clearance at Chinese ports, and that this was another sign of the deterioration of trade relations between the two countries.
According to Reuters, Australian government data showed that Australia exported 152,000 tons of table grapes last year, worth 622 million Australian dollars (about 3.13 billion yuan). China, as the largest buyer, bought 40% of them (about 60,000 yuan). Ton).
It is worth mentioning that Victoria is one of the important producing areas of Australian table grapes.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin stated at a regular press conference on the 22nd that the Australian Federal Government unreasonably vetoed the "Belt and Road" cooperation agreement signed between the Victorian government and China, wantonly disrupting normal exchanges and cooperation between the two countries, and seriously harming China-Australia relations. Mutual trust with the two countries. Wang Wenbin urged Australia to abandon the Cold War mentality and ideological prejudice, treat China-Australia cooperation objectively and rationally, and immediately correct mistakes, so as not to make China-Australia relations that are already facing serious difficulties worse.