Noting that Defense Minister Richard Marles recently met with Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe in Singapore, Xiao said the question now was how to “keep the momentum and put our relationship back on track.” as the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States. two countries are approaching December.
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“A recovery requires some concrete action,” he added, but did not announce any easing of Chinese trade sanctions on Australia nor did he give hope that detained Australians Cheng Lei or Yang Hengjun would be released soon.
Xiao denied that Chinese tariffs on Australian exports such as wheat, barley, wine and seafood were a punishment for Australia’s push for an independent international investigation into the origins of the coronavirus.
Instead, he said they were a response to the “dumping” of Australian products in China.
However, Xiao made it clear that Chinese citizens had been deeply offended by suggestions that the virus may have escaped from a laboratory in Wuhan.
“This is absolutely unfounded, it’s absolute nonsense,” he said of the so-called laboratory leak theory. “This is absolutely something that the Chinese people, 1.4 billion people, absolutely cannot accept. So if that happens, I think it is fair and reasonable that 1.4 billion Chinese are very angry.”
He said the list of 14 complaints provided to journalists was aimed at helping educate journalists about China’s concerns with Australia, but that it had been “twisted” in subsequent reports to be a set of demands. The list included a ban on Chinese telecommunications Huawei from Australia’s 5G deployment, foreign interference laws and called for an investigation into the origins of COVID-19.
“If the Australian side expresses its concerns about certain things on the Chinese side, I will not characterize it as a precondition,” he said. “It’s just that they’re concerns and we’ll talk about that.”
Asked about the arrest in China of Australian journalist Cheng Lei and academic Yang Henjun, Xiao said there had been “intense communication” between Australia and China, but added that the process should be allowed. legal development.
He said many foreign diplomats, journalists and tourists stayed in China without any problems. “As long as they respect the rules and the laws, they don’t have to worry,” he said.
On the widely documented persecution of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang, Xiao said, “The Xinjiang issue is not a matter of human rights or freedom. It is a matter of national unity or separatism, peace and order or terrorism … S “They have taken the necessary measures in the interests of both the people of Xinjiang and China.”
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