Prime minister says issues are being settled respectfully but journalists are reporting ‘a lot more negativity’

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Malcolm Turnbull has blamed the media and his political opponents for portraying the China-Australia relationship as troubled, claiming issues between the countries are being settled with mutual respect.

Turnbull made the comments at the Australia China Business Council on Tuesday, amid tension about Australian competition with China for influence in the South Pacific and concern from China that it is being targeted by the Coalition’s foreign interference package.

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Debate in the Coalition over Huawei’s bid to participate in the 5G network is another flashpoint in relations, with a warning on Tuesday from the chairman of the top parliamentary foreign affairs committee that Huawei should be blocked and foreign minister Julie Bishop reasserting Australia’s right to act on security advice to do so.

Turnbull said “in the media and sometimes you’ll see from politicians … a lot more negativity presented than is actually the case”.

The Australian prime minister suggested it was “important to reinforce the reality” that Australia’s relationship with China is strong, citing individual relationships forged by businesses trading with China and the 1.2m Australians of Chinese descent.

Several questioners provided anecdotal evidence that Chinese businesspeople were concerned about the direction of the Australian government. One suggested the perception was that “the relationship does not match the trade between the two countries”.



Turnbull responded that “the relationship is very strong”.

“It’s important not to be distracted by media and political commentary which is often designed to highlight difference, friction … or possibly to even accentuate friction,” he said.

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Turnbull’s upbeat assessment also contrasted with his frank admission in April that there is “a degree of tension” in the China-Australia relationship due to the Coalition’s foreign interference laws, which did not rate a mention in his speech.

Earlier on Tuesday the Chinese ambassador called for Australia and China to harbour less “bias and bigotry” towards each other, warning that no one was benefiting from the current “cold war mentality”.

The Turnbull government has also been accused of an “anti-Chinese jihad” by the former Labor prime minister Kevin Rudd over its foreign interference laws.

Despite the prime minister’s effort to sheet home blame to the media, the attorney general has recently defended the accuracy of Australian reporting of foreign influence after accusations from a Chinese diplomat that it “fabricates stories”.

On Tuesday the chair of the parliamentary joint committee on foreign affairs and trade, Liberal senator David Fawcett, urged colleagues in the Coalition party room to ban Chinese communications giant Huawei from building Australia’s next 5G networks.

Fawcett told Guardian Australia that Australia “needs to proceed carefully” and engage with its partners “with our eyes open”.

“I welcome trade with China, but sometimes they don’t play by the same rules ... and where there are areas that potentially create a risk, we need to take appropriate measures,” he said.

Fawcett cited legal requirements in China that could compel individuals and companies to cooperate with government directives, including for intelligence work.

On Thursday Huawei’s Australian chairman, John Lord, told the ABC the company was still in talks with the Turnbull government about participating in the 5G wireless network and he had not been advised of any government decision to block its participation on security grounds.

Asked at the business council how Australian companies could safely engage with Chinese companies such as Huawei, Bishop said the government worked “very hard to get the balance right” between innovation and security.

“In a globalised world the flow of people, capital and ideas is unstoppable,” she said. “But there are times when the Australian government has a responsibility to look at security and look at national interest issues.

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“This is not directed at China, this is what we do in relation to all matters where the Australian government has a say … we ensure we take into account national security concerns, the advice of our security experts and act accordingly.”

Bishop praised Australia’s comprehensive strategic partnership with China, noting the two did not always agree but what mattered was how they resolved those differences.

Bishop added that Australia also disagreed on policy matters with the US, citing Australia’s opposition to protectionism, the US withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement and the Iran nuclear deal.

Bishop credited China for its role putting pressure on North Korea to denuclearise, adding that “time will tell” whether the historic meeting between Kim Jong-Un and the US president Donald Trump would produce a lasting peace and denuclearisation.

The trade minister, Steve Ciobo, downplayed anxiety about the Australia-China relationship, suggesting there was “a lot of navel-gazing going on” and pointing to $180bn of trade between the two nations.