Australia’s state of Victoria pushing ahead with belt and road plans, despite Canberra’s objections

Victoria plans to sign agreements for investment under China’s Belt and Road Initiative within weeks, as Beijing ramps up trade tensions with Australia

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton asked the state government to justify taking part in a ‘propaganda exercise’ for Beijing

Reading Time:3 minutes

People exercise along a promenade in Melbourne. Victoria state is pushing ahead with the message that it is open to trade with China. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 6:01pm, 21 May 2020Updated: 7:44pm, 21 May 2020

An Australian state is continuing with its plans to participate in China’s signature infrastructure drive regardless of opposition from Canberra, amid growing divisions between state and federal leaders over how to handle relations with Beijing.

Victoria’s bid to sign a road map for investment under China’s Belt and Road Initiative within weeks comes as state and national government figures clash over Canberra’s handling of escalating trade tensions with Beijing.

Beijing earlier this month restricted beef imports and slapped an 80 per cent tariff on Australian barley, in moves widely seen as retaliation for Australia’s push for an independent international inquiry into the coronavirus pandemic.

A seeder sows barley seed at a farm in Balliang, Victoria, as China slapped anti-dumping duties on Australian barley for five years as diplomatic tensions escalate between the two trading partners. Photo: Bloomberg

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton on Thursday called on the Victorian government, led by the opposition centre-left Labor Party, to justify taking part in a “propaganda exercise” for Beijing.

“This is gravely concerning, and Victoria needs to explain why it is really the only state in the country that has entered into this relationship,” Dutton said.

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x