Anthony Albanese defends Darwin port stance from | Australian Markets

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has dismissed ideas Australian companies may very well be iced out of the Chinese market over the Government’s choice to put the strategic port of Darwin back into Australia’s arms.

Chinese objections to Labor’s election promise to overturn the awarding of a 99-year lease of the port to the Beijing-owned Landbridge group have loomed over Mr Albanese’s pink carpet reception in China this week, with state media repeatedly highlighting the controversy.

Mr Albanese on Wednesday confirmed that the sale of the port had not been raised straight with him in talks with Premier Li Qiang or Chinese President Xi Jinping, who provided a uncommon lunch invitation to the Prime Minister and fiancee Jodie Haydon.

Mr Li continued the attraction offensive at a roundtable of Chinese and Australian business leaders within the imposing Great Hall of the People on Tuesday however alluded to the purpose of rivalry by urging Australia to create a “non-discriminatory business environment.”

“We hope that the Australian side will treat Chinese enterprises visiting Australia fairly and properly solve the problems encountered by enterprises in market access, investment review, and other aspects,” Mr Li mentioned.

The Global Times, a state-run media outlet, was more direct.

“At present, there are specific issues between China and Australia that need to be discussed, such as the lease of Darwin Port and the expansion of the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement,” it mentioned.

“There are also practical obstacles, especially the tendencies toward “pan-politicisation” and “pan-securitisation,” in addition to interference from third events,” it continued in an in any other case glowing account of Mr Albanese’s journey to date.

Asked during a press convention on the Great Wall of China on Wednesday if he was ready for Australia to be put back into the deep freeze on the difficulty, Mr Albanese responded with a straight, “the answer is no.”

The Prime Minister’s six-day journey has been centred on repairing business and trade ties after a diplomatic spat beneath the Morrison authorities triggered a collection of damaging import bans on key commodities, which have since been lifted.

Labor has careworn, nevertheless, that it’ll not budge over the cancelling of the Landbridge lease for national security causes.

Mr Albanese advised reporters that this was a long held place “shouldn’t come as any surprise.”

However, Chinese officers have long protested over adjustments made to the Foreign Investment Review Board beneath the earlier Government after the port lease was awarded to a Chinese-state owned operator by the Northern Territory authorities.

That choice was considered by many on the time, together with in Washington, as a strategic mistake that compromised national security.

The Government has rejected Beijing’s ideas that Chinese corporations are actually being unfairly focused by guidelines requiring better scrutiny in delicate investment areas.

Ahead of Mr Albanese’s journey, the Government indicated it will not be ready to ease restrictions or to accede to Chinese requests for better cooperation on artificial intelligence capabilities.

“We have a case by case issue when it comes to foreign investment,” mentioned Mr Albanese.

“It is viewed not on the basis of any one country, but on the basis of an objective assessment of our national interest.”