4/30/2021 6:43:20 AM GMT | By Dhwani Mehta
China’s Ambassador in Canberra, Cheng Jingye, accused Australia of economic coercion, which resulted in the deterioration of ties between the two countries, Bloomberg reported, citing a transcript.
Key comments
“If there is any coercion, it must have to be done by the Australian side,”
“What China has done is only aimed to uphold its legitimate rights and interests, prevent bilateral ties from further plunging and move them back onto the right track.”
The response comes days after Australia’s Home Affairs Secretary Michael Pezzullo told his staff that “in a world of perpetual tension and dread, the drums of war beat.” Although he refrained from mentioning China, he said, “free nations were watching “worryingly the militarization of issues that we had, until recent years, thought unlikely to be catalysts for war.”
PM downplays prospect of Indo-Pacific conflict after drums of war comment29/04/2021|4min
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has played down the prospect of conflict in the Indo-Pacific region as he announced a major upgrade of Defence training facilities in Northern Australia.
While a recent comment made by Australia’s Home Affairs Secretary Mike Pezzullo warned the “drums of war” were beating louder, Mr Morrison said his government were committed to peace in the region.
Mr Pezzullo s provocative comments have gained increasing news coverage and have been featured on the front page of The Times in Britain.
Military capabilities and jobs will be bolstered in the Northern Territory after the federal government unveiled a $747 million investment in four key ADF training areas.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is asserting New Zealand’s “sovereignty” in defiance of its foreign allies - comprising Australia, Canada, the UK and the US - by signalling that she is “not prepared to take her country into the kind of trade war with China that Australia has found itself facing”, The Guardian’s diplomatic editor Patrick Wintour reports.
Uneasy alliance
A simmering row between Australia and New Zealand bubbled over last week after Ardern’s foreign minister, Nanaia Mahuta, told a press conference that her country needs to “maintain and respect” China’s “particular customs, traditions and values”.
The intervention came amid ongoing tension between Canberra and Beijing over the sovereignty of Taiwan, with Australian Defence Minister Peter Dutton telling ABC’s Insiders on Sunday that he did not think conflict with China “should be discounted”.
Drums of war warnings spread across the world to British news skynews.com.au - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from skynews.com.au Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Australia Holding Crisis Talks Discussing Travel Ban on India Flights Amidst COVID-19 Surge [Headlines]
Australian officials to decide whether or not to impose a blanket travel ban on flights from India, which would leave thousands of Australians in the country stranded.
Today’s headlines from the Hope News team. You can listen to hourly bulletin updates at hopenews.com.au.
Australian officials will hold crisis talks today to decide whether or not to impose a blanket travel ban on flights from India due to the COVID-19 crisis there.
The move would leave thousands of Australians in the country stranded.
The National Security Committee of Cabinet will also discuss providing oxygen supplies – with a humanitarian aid package expected to be announced.