China-Australia relations: ex-PM Malcolm Turnbull urges Canberra not to ‘buckle under pressure’ from Beijing
- Former Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull says Australia ‘will get less respect’ if it tones down its criticism of China
- The Turnbull government banned Huawei and ZTE from Australia’s 5G network, seen by some as a tipping point in bilateral ties between Beijing and Canberra
Australia should not “buckle under pressure” from an onslaught of trade actions from Beijing and change its stance on controversial bilateral issues with China, according to former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull.
I went through an episode precisely like this in 2017 and 2018. And we stuck to our position, we didn‘t succumb to the pressure
Turnbull was prime minister between 2015 and 2018, when political relations with China began to sour, even as commerce soared following the signing of a bilateral free trade deal in 2015.
“I went through an episode precisely like this in 2017 and 2018. And we stuck to our position, we didn’t succumb to the pressure. And once it was apparent in Beijing that the pressure was not producing the result they wanted, it dropped off. So I think you just have to stand your ground,” said Turnbull.
During Turnbull’s tenure, Beijing lashed out at Canberra due to Australia siding with an international tribunal’s decision that China had no historical claim to disputed South China Sea islands, the banning of Huawei Technologies Co. and ZTE from Australia’s 5G network, and Turnbull’s introduction of foreign interference laws seen as targeting Chinese influence in Australian politics.
In recent days, a series of Chinese government officials have said Australia needs to make the first move in repairing the bilateral relationship, which has frayed since Australia led calls in April for an international inquiry into the source of the coronavirus.