Key PointsForeign Minister Penny Wong has met along with her Chinese language counterpart Wang Yi in Canberra.Wong raised human rights issues and the case of an Australian going through the loss of life penalty in China.In addition they mentioned Chinese language tariffs on quite a lot of Australian merchandise.
Commerce points, an Australian sentenced to loss of life in China and different human rights issues have been the primary subjects of International Minister Penny Wong’s assembly along with her Chinese language counterpart.
“China will at all times be China, Australia will at all times be Australia,” Wong instructed media following talks with Chinese language International Minister Wang Yi in Canberra on Wednesday.
“Nevertheless, we need to proceed to have interaction, to cooperate the place we are able to and disagree the place we should, and to handle these variations correctly.”
Tariffs and market volatility
Chinese language tariffs have been one merchandise excessive on Wong’s agenda.
Though China pulled again among the restrictions on Australian merchandise first enforced between 2020 and 2021, tariffs on Australian beef and lobster stay in place.
“I welcomed the progress in the direction of eradicating commerce impediments and reiterated our want for the elimination of remaining impediments on beef and lobster,” she mentioned.
Nevertheless, there was no announcement concerning an additional winding again of tariffs.
Wong mentioned they’d additionally mentioned volatility in nickel markets, including that “predictability in enterprise and commerce is in all our financial pursuits”.
Yang’s loss of life sentence
Wong mentioned she instructed Yi that Australians have been shocked on the sentence imposed on pro-democracy author Yang Hengjun by a Chinese language court docket.
Having spent 5 years behind bars in China, Yang was discovered responsible of espionage in February.
He was given , that means his sentence would turn into a sentence of life imprisonment after two years if he doesn’t commit any critical crimes throughout that interval.
“I made clear to him the Australian authorities will proceed to advocate on Dr Yang’s behalf,” Wong mentioned.
“I additionally raised our issues about different Australian loss of life penalty instances. As you recognize, Australia opposes the loss of life penalty in all circumstances for all peoples.”
Yang Hengjun was arrested in August 2019 on suspicion of espionage. Supply: Getty / David Grey
Issues about human rights in China
Wong mentioned she additionally broached the topic of human rights in China.
“I raised Australia’s issues about human rights, together with in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong.”
A Human Rights Watch report launched in February warned of a hyperlink between the worldwide automobile trade and compelled labour within the Chinese language area of Xinjiang.
and Tibetan independence have been even longer-running points.
European Union to specific “grave issues” over the far-reaching provisions.
