WINE AND PANDAS
Australia has tightened its defence alliance with the USA because it seeks to parry Beijing’s increasing diplomatic and army affect on island states scattered across the Pacific area.
China describes the AUKUS safety pact between Washington, London and Canberra — a deal that may equip Australia with nuclear-powered however conventionally armed submarines — as a divisive measure that raises nuclear proliferation dangers.
In the newest signal of army tensions, Australia accused China of “unsafe and unprofessional” conduct after certainly one of its warplanes allegedly fired flares within the path of a naval helicopter final month over the Yellow Sea.
Albanese has promised to inform Li the behaviour was “inappropriate”.
Canberra additionally reacted with “outrage” when a Beijing courtroom handed down a suspended dying sentence to Chinese language-Australian dissident author Yang Jun earlier this yr.
However such disagreements are prone to be aired behind closed doorways, Neelam mentioned.
As an alternative, Li units a friendlier tone on the primary full day of his journey Sunday – visiting the famed Barossa winemaking area in Adelaide, hometown of Australia’s overseas minister, who’s credited with serving to stabilise relations with Beijing.
China’s tariffs had successfully blocked premium Australian wine exports, value an estimated Aus$1 billion a yr, till simply three months in the past.
First, although, Li will pop into Adelaide Zoo the place large pandas Wang Wang and Fu Ni have been on mortgage from China since 2009.
Hopes are excessive that the pair – devices of China’s so-called panda diplomacy – will likely be allowed to remain regardless of producing no offspring of their time collectively.
