In a clear example of toadying to the CCP, Trade Minister Damien O’Connor has lectured the Aussies about being better behaved when dealing with China:
Minister for Trade Damien O’Connor has suggested Australia speak with “more diplomacy” about China, so it too can have a “mature” relationship.
He made the comments in an interview on CNBC’s Squawk Box Asia programme about the offer from New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs Nanaia Mahuta last December to broker a truce between China and Australia.
At the time, Mahuta said “both parties will have to be willing to come together and concede in some areas where they are currently not seeing eye to eye”.
O’Connor today spoke with his Australian counterpart, minister for trade Dan Tehan, “to reiterate, as I said in the interview, that we do not speak for Australia on this or any other matter”.
He told CNBC that New Zealand had a “mature relationship with China and we’ve always been able to raise issues of concern”.
“I can’t speak for Australia and the way it runs its diplomatic relationships, but clearly if they were to follow us and show respect, I guess a little more diplomacy from time to time and be cautious with wording, then they too could hopefully be in a similar situation,” he said.
O’Connor said “nationalism is not the way forward” and New Zealand hoped to “build multilateral trade and diplomatic relationships across the world and play our part”.
NZ Herald
What a lickspittle to the CCP. Unsurprisingly the Aussies aren’t happy.
According to the ABC, one Australian government source said O’Connor’s comments had “not gone down well” in Canberra, but added it would not do any long-lasting damage to the two countries’ relationship.
“What [New Zealand] has to realise is that China is intent on splitting alliances in the region, and jumping in like this plays into their hands,” they said.
Our Government seems to like spitting in the eye of our allies. Little wonder one newspaper has re-labeled NZ to New Xi-land:
Damien O’Connor has shown that this Government is intent on toadying to the CCP.