OPINION
In 1971, Labor leader Gough Whitlam became the first Australian political leader to visit a communist nation, Maoist China. Never mind that the Cultural Revolution — which claimed up to 25 million lives and destroyed three-quarters of China’s cultural heritage — was still raging. Like most Western leftists, Whitlam cultivated a studiously blind eye to the horrors of the Chinese Communist Party.
More than fifty years later, the Labor Party are still at it.
After the Morrison government enraged Beijing by daring to point out that it had spread a devastating pandemic around the world, Anthony Albanese knew he had a lot of Chinese arse to kiss. On his latest overseas holiday state visit, he’s been shuffling around Beijing, frantically wearing out the knees of his trousers in an effort to win back all that sweet, sweet Chinese business.
And if China apparently deliberately injures Australian Navy sailors? Don’t expect Albo to upset the dumpling tray.
The federal opposition has demanded Anthony Albanese reveal whether he confronted Xi Jinping at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco over an incident in which Australian navy personnel were injured in an interaction with a Chinese warship.
As if! Albanese didn’t even bother letting Australians know what had happened until after APEC and all the positive headlines.
The Australian government waited until after the conclusion of APEC to reveal that divers with the Royal Australian Navy suffered minor injuries after being subjected to sonar pulses from a Chinese warship. The incident occurred off the coast of Japan, with the government confirming the personnel were hurt on Tuesday November 14 – a full day before the Prime Minister left to attend the APEC leaders’ meeting.
The Australian
So, what actually happened?
The divers were hurt while performing a mission in support of United Nations sanctions enforcement, with Defence Minister Richard Marles saying on Saturday the HMAS Toowoomba was in international waters inside of Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone enroute to commence a scheduled port visit when the incident occurred.
The Australian vessel had stopped to conduct diving operations in order to clear fishing nets that had become entangled around its propellers.
As the Chinese navy is wont to do, a People’s Liberation Army-Navy (PLA-N) destroyer showed up to flex some menacing muscle. The Toowoomba repeatedly advised that diving operations were being conducted, on normal maritime channels and using internationally recognised signals. The Chinese acknowledged the communications but kept approaching anyway. It then operated its hull-mounted sonar, an action that was extremely dangerous for the Australian divers, who were forced to exit the water. Medical assessments showed they had sustained minor injuries — likely due to being subjected to the sonar pulses from the Chinese destroyer.
Opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson told The Australian.“This conduct by the People’s Liberation Army Navy is irresponsible, dangerous and aggressive.
“To deliberately harm Australian navy personnel operating within the exclusive economic zone of Japan is particularly egregious and totally contrary to the pronouncements of friendship we saw in Beijing […]
“This is very malign behaviour and it is yet more evidence of why the relationship with China is far from normal.”
The Australian
On the contrary, it’s entirely normal behaviour from the Chinese government, a global bully whose warships have repeatedly menaced and even rammed the ships of other nations. It’s a not-so-subtle reminder to the Albanese government that “friendship” with the CCP means knowing your place. Albo’s only too happy to kowtow.
Anthony Albanese has refused to say whether he raised a Chinese warship’s dangerous sonar usage near Australian divers with Xi Jinping at APEC, in a move condemned by the opposition as evasive and inadequate.
Speaking for the first time about the sonar incident on Monday, the Prime Minister blasted the “dangerous” and “unprofessional” conduct by the Chinese destroyer, which knowingly used its sonar while Australian personnel were in the water.
He’s all huffing and puffing, now, from a safe distance. But, did he even mention it to his Daddy Xi?
But when asked directly if he raised the incident with President Xi, Mr Albanese deflected.
“When I was in San Francisco, there was no bilateral meeting with President Xi, where you give a readout of what the events occurred (sic),” he told Sky News.
“I don’t talk about private meetings on the sidelines, discussions I have with any world leader.”
How very convenient. Just like he refuses to discuss domestic politics when he’s overseas — which seems to be most of the time. Twenty-one overseas trips in just eighteen months.
Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham said Mr Albanese’s response “defies credibility”.
“Australians can only deduce from Mr Albanese’s evasiveness that he didn’t raise Australia’s concerns with China’s military actions, thereby failing to adequately seize the opportunity to make Australian concerns known at the highest level,” Senator Birmingham said.
“Australia should be making our concerns clear to the highest levels of Chinese leadership because this isn’t just a one-off incident, it is part of a dangerous pattern of behaviour that we need China to cease engaging in.”
As if. Instead, China’s engaging in its usual pattern of behaviour: acting outrageously and then throwing a tantrum when it’s caught out.
Beijing has warned Canberra against making “reckless and irresponsible accusations against China” after Australia said sonar pulses emitted by a Chinese warship “likely” injured its navy divers.
“We urge the Australian side to respect the facts, stop making reckless and irresponsible accusations against China,” defence ministry spokesman Wu Qian said, adding China “did not engage in any activities that may have affected the Australian divers”.
The Age
Sure, and they didn’t do dangerous experiments with bat viruses in Wuhan, either.