Canberra would hold China accountable on issues such as human rights, Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne said on Tuesday, insisting that staying quiet on sensitive issues is not in the national interest, in comments that drew a rebuke from China.
Relations with Australia’s most important trading partner have deteriorated over the past few years amid accusations that China is meddling in domestic affairs. Canberra also fears China is seeking undue influence in the Pacific region.
Souring relations have strained bilateral trade, prompting some business executives to urge Australia’s conservative government to prioritize economic policy above social advocacy.
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However, Australia would not be silenced, Payne said.
“We must respect each other’s sovereignty, but we will consistently continue to raise issues such as human rights, including, as I have said, with China,” she said in a foreign policy speech at the United States Study Centre in Sydney. “Turning a blind eye to all human rights violations means an acceptance of behavior that undermines the foundations of international peace and stability. Where there is no challenge, there is no progress.”
“We have also addressed the treatment of the Uighur people in Xinjiang province in China,” she added.
In Beijing, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Geng Shuang (耿爽) said that Payne had “ignored the facts,” particularly with her remarks on Xinjiang.
“This is really not good, and does not benefit the improvement and development of the two countries’ relations,” he told a daily news conference. “China has already lodged stern representations with Australia about this, to say this way of doing things is very inappropriate. We hope the Australian side can reflect on, and learn, the lessons of the recent disturbances in Sino-Australian relations.”
Trade between the two countries was more than A$180 billion (US$123.46 billion) last year.
However, several Australian lawmakers have stepped up criticism of China, despite the risk to trade.
China was targeting political parties and universities, Australian Minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton said this month, triggering a strong reaction from Beijing.
Last month, Australian intelligence held China responsible for a cyberattack on the Australian parliament and its three largest political parties before a general election in May.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied involvement in any hacking attacks, saying that the Internet was full of theories that were difficult to trace.
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