Australia Rejects China's List Of Grievances

Australia's prime minister on Thursday pushed back over a list of more than a dozen grievances raised by China regarding his country's human rights diplomacy, independent media and investment policies, saying "we will always be Australia".

Tensions between Australia and its largest trading partner China have mounted this year, with Beijing imposing a series of trade reprisals after Canberra led calls for an international inquiry into the coronavirus.

Australian government ministers have recently said they want to improve communication with China, but Beijing has said Australia needs to "take concrete actions to correct their mistakes".

The Foreign Ministry in Beijing listed the complaints about Australia's China policy in a regular press briefing on Tuesday and its embassy in Canberra shared a list of 14 complaints with Australian media company Nine the same day.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Thursday referred to the Chinese embassy's list and said Australia acted in its own interests. It would not change its policies including having a free media, elected parliamentarians able to speak their minds and speaking up on human rights.

"If this is the cause for tension in that relationship, then it would seem that the tension is that Australia is just being Australia," Morrison said an interview with the Seven Network.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian on Tuesday read out complaints about Australia's actions including "mistakes on issues concerning China's core interests like Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Taiwan", actions in the Human Rights Council, and support for Taiwan entering the World Health Organsation.

China also criticised Australia's action against foreign interference, and being the first country to ban Chinese companies from participating in its 5G telecommunications network.

The embassy said more than 10 Chinese investments had been blocked in Australia on national security grounds.

"We won't be compromising on the fact that we will set what our foreign investment laws are, or how we build our 5G telecommunications networks, or how we run our systems of protecting against interference," Morrison told Nine Television.

On Tuesday, Australia and Japan agreed on a breakthrough defence pact during a visit by Morrison to Tokyo, prompting a rebuke from China over statements the two leaders made.

Back in Australia, Morrison told media it was a mistake for China to believe Australia acted at the behest of the United States. He said Australia formed trade and defence arrangements with Japan and other countries, and set its foreign investment rules, in accordance with its national interests.

"Beijing is just gradually ratcheting up the pressure," said Lowy Institute senior fellow Richard McGregor, adding the timing was not good for China's speeches about trade openness.

The White House National Security Council chimed in, saying on Twitter that Beijing's "Wolf Warrior" diplomacy was backfiring and "more and more nations worldwide have Australia's back".

"The Chinese Communist Party used to be more subtle in its attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of nations," the Council said of the grievance list. (Reuters)