China-Australia relations are experiencing an unprecedented decline.

After tearing up the "Belt and Road" agreement and hyping up the involvement in the "Taiwan Strait conflict," Australian officials and the media have turned their attention to Darwin Port, which "has China's 99-year lease."

The Australian Defence Minister Peter Dutton, who took office not long ago, declared on April 25 that if China’s lease of Darwin Port is “not in the national interest”, Australia should “take action” (terminate the lease).

　　From the "Five Eyes Alliance", Hong Kong-related issues in Xinjiang, to the recent tearing up of the "Belt and Road" agreement, and hype about involvement in the "Taiwan Strait conflict," the Australian government seems to intend to go all the way to the "anti-China" road.

Some analysts say that if we act according to the current logic of the Australian government, the Sino-Australian conflict may further escalate in the future.

　　Australia wants to break the contract again?

　　The Port of Darwin is located in northern Australia. It is an important strategic resource port and gateway for Australia. It is also Australia's closest port to Asia and China. It is known as the "gateway to Asia".

In 2015, a Chinese-funded company obtained a 99-year lease of the port. The mayor of Darwin once made it clear that he looked forward to the development opportunities of the “Belt and Road”.

However, in less than six years, the Australian government has "regretted" and even offered a geographical competition card.

　　According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) report on April 25, on April 21, Australian Foreign Minister Marys Payne announced to tear up the "Belt and Road" agreement signed between the Victorian government and China, and also revealed that it is considering terminating Australia The Darwin Port lease signed with China.

A few days later, Australian Defense Minister Peter Dutton mentioned this issue again.

He said the federal government is reviewing thousands of foreign-related agreements, including the 99-year lease of Darwin Port to Chinese companies.

Dutton stated: "I am not trying to preempt or imply anything. I think Marys (the foreign minister) should study these cases. If this is not in our national interest, she will obviously take action."

　　After Payne and Dutton expressed their positions one after another, Australian media including the Western Australian and the New Daily have speculated that China’s lease in Darwin may become the next target of the Australian government to “broke the contract”, and the basis is likely to remain It is the "Foreign Relations Act" that is considered to be tailored specifically for China.

　　In December 2020, the Australian Parliament suddenly passed the "Foreign Relations Act", authorizing the Minister of Foreign Affairs to cancel new and previously signed agreements between Australia’s eight states and territories, local authorities, universities and other institutions and foreign governments, as long as they are recognized Against national interests.

After the passage of the bill, the "One Belt One Road" agreement signed between the Victorian Government and China was first cancelled.

This time, Australian media and Australian officials have "focused" on the Darwin Port lease.

　　In October 2015, the Northern Territory Government announced that China Landbridge Group had acquired the 99-year operation rights of Darwin Port for 506 million Australian dollars (approximately RMB 2.5 billion), including Darwin Port land, affiliated EastArm terminal facilities and Fort Hill terminal.

The then Minister of Trade and Investment of Australia, Andrew Robb, once said that this cooperation is a good result for the Northern Territory and the whole of Australia; after catching the fast train of China’s economic development, many sectors such as agriculture, resources and energy in northern Australia It will take off.

Facts have also proved that since China Landbridge Group took over, Darwin Port has been operating in good condition. From 2018 to 2019 alone, the port’s cargo throughput reached 26.3 million tons, the total number of ships docked 2,154 times, and the total tonnage of ships transporting liquefied natural gas reached 14.03 million tons.

　　The cooperation between Landbridge Group and Darwin Port was originally a win-win business transaction and was not within the scope of the application of the so-called "Foreign Relations Act."

Australian Foreign Minister Payne said in December last year that China’s lease in Darwin Port would 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, under the guise of the so-called "national interest", Payne's attitude reversed, and it is not impossible for Australia to unilaterally break the contract.

　　The American Shadow Behind Darwin Port

　　In the past six years, in the Australian public opinion, how did Darwin’s port change from a mutually beneficial cooperation project of “borrowing the east wind” to a “strategic risk endangering Australia’s national interests”?

This is inseparable from the United States, which is obsessed with the port.

　　When Chinese companies and the Northern Territory government reached the Darwin Port Agreement in 2015, it caused strong dissatisfaction from the United States on the grounds that China might endanger the security of the United States.

The United States has a naval base in Darwin Port. By 2016, the number of U.S. troops stationed in Darwin Port will increase to 2,500, and will be stationed with a variety of advanced warships, including B-52 bombers, F-18 fighter jets and Global Hawk drones. Wait.

Because this is the closest Australian port to Asia, the US naval base at Darwin Port is regarded as a "bridgehead" for US forces to intervene in the South China Sea.

　　After Chinese companies took over Darwin Port in 2015, the United States began to persuade the Australian government to "broke the contract."

On the one hand, the United States has drawn Australia into the "Five Eyes Alliance" against China.

In July 2020, the two sides also reached a "top-secret defense cooperation framework" against China. The center of this so-called future military cooperation plan is set in the Australian port city of Darwin.

According to the "Australian" report, the United States and Australia will strengthen their joint military training centered on Darwin, and hold regular joint military exercises in the South China Sea in the name of safeguarding the so-called "freedom of navigation."

The two sides will also set up a bilateral team to coordinate hardware and personnel deployment issues in the "Indo-Pacific Joint Military Operation."

On the other hand, the United States also promised the Australian government to "spend a lot of money for construction" in Darwin.

According to the Northern Territory investment cooperation agreement reached by Australia and the United States, the United States will invest US$226 million (approximately 1.54 billion yuan) to establish a strategic military fuel reserve system in Darwin that is dominated by the United States and operated by a business model to ensure "criticality". Important military supply chain security".

　　The real purpose of the United States spending money and efforts to squeeze the space of activities of Chinese enterprises on the Darwin Port issue is precisely to make Darwin the center of military activities in the four countries of the United States, Australia, Japan and India.

In order to make Darwin Port a center of military activities in the four countries, Tony McCormack, a researcher at the North Australian Strategic Policy Center of the Australian Institute for Strategic Policy (ASPI), suggested that the Australian government proactively coordinate diplomatic strategies and "eliminate risks"; Australian National University Strategy and Defense Research center professor Paul Dieb told the Northern Territory News Network that "the main national security risk is China's secret surveillance activities, especially the surveillance of warships."

After that, the Australian Foreign Minister, the Minister of Defense, parliamentarians, think tankers, etc. have successively issued warnings about the "strategic threat" of Darwin Port.

　　Breach of contract damages Australia’s national image and violates the wishes of the Australian people

　　Whether it’s unilaterally tearing up the “Belt and Road” agreement or focusing on Darwin Port, the Australian Federal Government’s insistence on tying itself to the U.S. anti-China chariot, the Australian “Canberra Times” criticized on April 26 that the Australian government “suddenly” The unthinking decision" is not only unnecessary, but also full of provocative nature. I advise the Australian government not to bluff and frighten people.

　　The Canberra Times reported in a report that “The Australian government thought it could use this to coerce Beijing, and it would eventually prove to be futile. What Canberra needs is to find some way to start rebuilding Australia-China relations, but the current government only seems to know Dig the scab until it bleeds"; "This Australian government has become a cunning card player. One day, its cards will be exposed."

　　Regarding the continued “self-destruction” of the Australian government, Wang Yiwei, director of the Institute of International Affairs of Renmin University of China, analyzed on April 24 that China has invested in the construction of Darwin Port because it is the closest port to Asia, and it is important for the economic and trade relationship between Australia and Asia. Contact is very important.

However, the Australian side actually said that "you violated our security."

Whose safety?

It is the security of the United States, not the real security of Australia.

The Australian government’s actions not only discredited its image as a sovereign and independent country, violated the country’s integrity and traditions of state autonomy, but also violated Australia’s commercial interests and the will of the Australian people.

　　Our newspaper, Beijing, April 28th

　　China Youth Daily and China Youth Daily reporter Chen Xiaoru Source: China Youth Daily